


A Different Choice

by Jeiidaan, rynoa29



Series: Parallel Universe [2]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Cussing, F/M, M/M, Male Slash, Mpreg, Violence, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-14
Updated: 2013-09-07
Packaged: 2017-11-26 17:00:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 218,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/652473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeiidaan/pseuds/Jeiidaan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/rynoa29/pseuds/rynoa29
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Ring Battles, things take a turn for the worst. Tsuna's Dying Will causes his mind to splinter, and Reborn isn't making it any easier. But through the chaos, a new Family enters the stage and Tsuna is forced to pull his own Family together to battle this new foe.</p><p>(Pairings include: 5927, D18, onesided!8059, mentions of 805927)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Target ??: A Glimpse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the next chapter for Author's Notes regarding this fic.

 

"What did you do to my friends?"

“Oh, no need to worry about them. They shouldn’t be too far.” Masaru leaned forward to rest his chin on his gloved hands. A slight, teasing smile stretched over the corner of his lips as his half-lidded eyes stared lazily at the Vongola boss. “And I’m sure they’re getting their share of entertainment. My Guardians have been dying to meet them after all. ”

Tsuna's brow furrowed slightly as he stared at Masaru. He didn't budge from his spot. "Don't talk about my friends like that," he said, his voice gaining a bit of a stern tone, though his eyes still held that ever-present wariness. "Please. Just tell me where they are. It's me you want, right? You wanted to assassinate me. Don't involve them."

Masaru snorted slightly at the brunette’s words. “Don’t misplace your own blame on me, boy. From the beginning, my goal has always been the same—to eradicate the Vongola. Your friends’ lives are on your own shoulders." His smile turned sharp and ruthless as he stared at the brown-eyed teenager before him. His quiet voice echoed strongly throughout the room as he murmured next:

"You should have thought twice before involving them in matters of the mafia, _Decimo_.”


	2. Target ??: A Glimpse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone. Welcome to our story! Did you enjoy our teasing little glimpse of what's to come? As the summary states, this is a different version of what could have happened in Katekyou Hitman Reborn! Though we love Amano's version, we wanted to develop a more serious take on the idea of the mafia world that she created. Much like Amano, we have decided to ease you into our version of KHR with the first ten chapters. Things take a turn for the worse for our heroes once you reach chapter 13 (Target 12), and we hope you stick along with us until the end.
> 
> This story takes place right after the ring battle with the Varia. Warnings: this is a yaoi fanfic. Main pairings include 5927, D18, one-sided!8059, and mentions of 805927. Please note that there will be eventual non-graphic mpreg. (There is a reason for it! It's not just for the lolz xD)
> 
> Well, we hope you guys enjoy the ride. Check up for updates every Wednesday night.

* * *

_Ugh, that baseball freak better not appear any time soon…_ Gokudera thought in mild annoyance as he continued his journey towards the Tenth’s house. He kept his walk at a leisured pace, letting his shoulders relax as he slipped his hands in to his pockets. As usual, there was an unlit cigarette dangling over the corner of his lips. 

This morning, he had managed to evade being assaulted by the idiots that usually liked to bother him whenever he was on his way to the Tenth’s house, and for that he was glad for. It had been way too long since he had been able to walk the Tenth to school, just the two of them. Speaking of which… 

Gokudera had finally arrived. He walked past the entrance gate and let himself in through the front door, though he lingered at the entrance. From the sounds of it, everyone but the Tenth was in the kitchen. 

“Ah, Gokudera-kun! Good morning!” Nana called out to him, peering out from the kitchen. 

Gokudera’s eyes widened, and he quickly bowed. “G-good morning!” 

Nana smiled. “I’m afraid you just missed Tsu-kun. He ran upstairs to finish getting ready. That boy’s always running late!” Nana shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh, though she didn’t look as bothered as she pretended. 

“I-it’s not a problem. I can wait…” Gokudera tried to say, but the Tenth’s Mother was already raising her voice and calling the Tenth down. 

“Tsu-kun! Gokudera-kun’s here! Don’t make him wait too long!” 

Tsuna was upstairs getting dressed when he heard his mom’s call. “Okay!” he called down. “Be down in a minute!” He quickly finished up, grabbed his bag, and on his way down the stairs, he hurriedly attempted to tie his tie. Good thing he had eaten breakfast earlier. At least now Reborn wouldn’t steal his food, and he could go to school without being hungry. 

“Good morning, Gokudera-kun!” Tsuna smiled at the other once he got downstairs, fiddling with his slightly messy tie. 

Gokudera’s eyes brightened at the sight of the brunette. “Good morning, Tenth!” Gokudera returned the grin happily. “Did I come too early today?” he asked sheepishly, referring to the Tenth’s slightly disheveled appearance. “Here let me fix this for you, Tenth!” He eagerly volunteered to do so, setting down his book bag on the floor before reaching for his boss’ tie. 

Tsuna blinked and looked down, unconsciously sticking out his chest a bit so Gokudera could fix his tie. After he was finished, Tsuna smiled. “Thank you, Gokudera-kun.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “And you didn’t come early. I was running a little late.” Tsuna glanced over to where the rest of the “family” was eating breakfast and then returned his gaze to Gokudera. “Ah, Gokudera-kun, I need to talk to you for a second,” he said, grabbing Gokudera’s bag and pushing him out of the house so they wouldn’t be eavesdropped upon. He called out a goodbye to his mom before closing the door behind him. 

Gokudera looked a bit startled as the Tenth led him away from the house and towards the way to school. “What is it, Tenth?” He frowned, concerned. He wondered what could possibly be bothering the Tenth. 

“Has someone been bothering you?” Gokudera suddenly asked, his eyes narrowing darkly as his hands quickly reached for his dynamite. “Who is it?” His voice turned dangerously threateningly. 

“Ah! No, no, no! Nothing like that!” Tsuna waved his arms quickly. He put his hands on Gokudera’s, trying to make him lower the dynamite before anyone saw. “It’s something else! You see… My mom, she’s going to be leaving town for a while, and Bianchi is going to be taking care of us while she’s gone, but…” Tsuna looked down, trying to figure out how to explain it, before deciding to be blunt. “I don’t want to be left home with Bianchi.” Not to mention Reborn and everyone else. His mom always managed to keep the peace. Without her… Tsuna shuddered to think what would become of his house. 

Gokudera shuddered too. The very mention of his sister’s name had him nodding sympathetically. “I see.” He put his dynamite away, a thoughtful frown forming on his face as he contemplated the Tenth’s problem.  “So…have you thought about where to stay?” he asked him nonchalantly, though internally he was tense; what if the Tenth decided to stay over at that baseball freak’s house? Gokudera scowled at the mere thought. 

Tsuna looked down slightly before glancing back up at Gokudera. “Well, um, I have…” he said, hesitating. “I, um, I don’t really want to stay at Yamamoto’s house… because, well, I really don’t want to trouble his dad.” Onii-san was also out of the question. Although living with Kyoko-chan would be nice, Ryohei would be much too excited and drag Tsuna everywhere. So there was really only one more person he could consider. “So… could I… could I stay with you, Gokudera-kun?” Tsuna asked the other hesitantly, glancing up at him. 

“Y-you…you would want to??” Gokudera stuttered, his eyes widening in surprise as his face turned a light pink. That was the last thing he had expected. He beamed brightly at the Tenth, feeling overwhelmingly happy. “Of course you can!” he told him excitedly. “By when do you need to move in?” he asked in a rush, his step gaining a slight bounce that Gokudera could not contain. 

Tsuna smiled happily at the answer. He knew that Gokudera probably wouldn’t have refused him, but he still felt quite relieved hearing the other say yes. “Well, Mom’s leaving tomorrow in the morning, so I guess tonight. Would that be okay with you, Gokudera-kun?” 

“Of course, whenever’s fine for you!” Gokudera replied without a second thought, his face beaming. “As your right-hand man, I’ll do my best to please you!” he told him determinedly, his grin widening. Gokudera felt completely ecstatic that the Tenth had picked him over that stupid Yamamoto— _tch, of course he would_ , Gokudera confidently assured himself. _I can’t wait for the Tenth to come over._ Gokudera couldn’t help but to feel excited. He was already trying to plan what they would do this afternoon. But the more he thought about it, the more Gokudera remembered the state his apartment was in… 

 _Dammit… I can’t let the Tenth see my apartment looking like that! I have to go fix it!_ Gokudera ground his teeth against his cigarette, hoping the Tenth wouldn’t notice his inward panic. 

“Ah…” Tsuna faltered. “You know, you don’t have to accept because of that…” he murmured, still not wanting to accept that he was, in fact, the Tenth Boss of the Vongola Family. Tsuna bit his lip as he slipped his hands in his pockets. On his left, he felt the soft fabric of his gloves, which he carried around with him everywhere on Reborn’s orders. On his right, his hand met the cold metal of the ring he had won from Xanxus more than four months ago. Tsuna fingered the ring slightly as they walked. He stayed silent for a bit, looking thoughtful. But he was soon interrupted by a cheerful voice behind them. 

“Yo, Tsuna! Gokudera!” Yamamoto called as he jogged to catch up with them. He walked on Tsuna’s other side and waved. “Good morning!” 

Gokudera didn’t know whether to be relieved or to be extremely pissed off. For one, he was glad that Yamamoto had distracted the Tenth’s attention from his sudden panic. However… 

“Bastard… I thought I had gotten rid of you this morning!” Gokudera scowled, muttering darkly under his breath. 

Yamamoto laughed in his usually carefree way. “I know! I thought I lost you too! You’re good at hide and seek, Gokudera!” he said, before laughing again as if thoroughly enjoying himself. 

“Obviously not good enough…” Gokudera growled quietly. _That dumbass has a shorter attention span than I thought!_  

Tsuna sweat dropped _. What exactly did Gokudera-kun do?_  

Gokudera crushed his cigarette brutally between his teeth and grumbled. Earlier, on his way to the Tenth’s house, Gokudera had baited Yamamoto by throwing a baseball at his head, (one that the baseball nut had caught with frighteningly intensity). Then, Gokudera had instigated the stupid cow to go bother him into a game… So much for that working out. 

“Tch.” Gokudera moved to light up his cigarette, hoping to calm himself. “Stupid baseball freak…” he muttered. 

“Maybe we can go for a rematch next time!” Yamamoto laughed again, and clapped his hand fondly on Gokudera’s shoulder. The motion caused Gokudera’s lighter to flicker out just before the smoker managed to light up the cigarette. 

Tsuna saw this and prayed Gokudera wouldn’t lose it. 

“ _Yamamoto…_ ” Gokudera trailed off menacingly. A vein pulsed on his forehead as he tried his best to control his temper. In the distance, the school bell began to ring, signaling that they were all late. “This time I won’t hold back—!” Gokudera yelled, bringing out his dynamite and moving to throw them at his rival. 

“Gokudera-kun, don’t!!” Tsuna reached for Gokudera’s arms in an attempt to stop him from throwing the dynamite. “We’re late! We need to go to school!!” he said quickly. 

Yamamoto looked between the two with an unreadable look in his eyes. 

Gokudera felt the Tenth’s hands wrap around his arms and hesitated. He gazed at the desperate look on the Tenth’s face, only to turn away from it, feeling slightly ashamed at his actions. “Tch.” He defused his weapons, unable to go against the Tenth’s pleas. He closed his eyes for a second as he tried to regain his temper once more. “Let’s go, Tenth.” 

Tsuna breathed a sigh of relief and released Gokudera’s arms. “Yeah…” he said, walking with Gokudera. 

Yamamoto didn’t follow them for a few moments as he stole a glance at Gokudera. For a moment, a flicker of sadness flashed in his eyes before he blinked it away and moved to follow his friends. “Still playing with those toys, huh, Gokudera?” He laughed, teasing the other as if nothing had happened. 

Gokudera felt slightly uneasy for some reason that he could not explain. He shrugged the feeling off, breathing out a puff of smoke. “Idiot, don’t take me lightly…” he replied as he let his body slouch. 

“Ah well, we’re all late anyway, so let’s get scolded together.” Yamamoto grinned. 

Tsuna sighed once more. Yamamoto’s cheerfulness always put him off. Tsuna was afraid he would never get used to it. 

When they arrived at school, they did indeed get scolded for being late, and the three of them were given extra homework on top of the usual punishment. They really needed to stop their habit of arriving late.

 

* * *

 

Gokudera sighed in boredom from his desk. School was so boring… He should be home preparing for the Tenth’s arrival instead of wasting his time here. At least he had already finished the extra homework they had been assigned. It was too easy, at least for him. He was already expecting Yamamoto to come ask him for help this afternoon as usual, before dragging him to the Tenth’s house. _But today the Tenth will be sleeping over at mine’s~_ Gokudera grinned to himself. _That baseball freak won’t interrupt us today,_ he thought victoriously. 

During their lunch break, Tsuna walked over to Gokudera’s desk with a familiar depressed expression. “Gokudera-kun, I don’t understand this homework at all…” he said with a pitiful look on his face. He was going to fail yet again. 

“Don’t worry, Tenth!” Gokudera grinned, jumped off his chair, and pushed his boss towards it. “I’ll help you out!” he declared, before pulling out a pair of glasses and putting them on. At this point, he would usually also bring out his portable whiteboard, but as they were in a classroom, he already had all the supplies he needed. “It’s actually quite simple.” Gokudera began explaining the assignment, leaning over the Tenth’s shoulder and pointing to his paper. 

Tsuna blinked as he was quickly shuffled towards Gokudera’s chair. He moved his head to the side a bit to allow Gokudera to lean over him. Tsuna really tried to understand, but as Gokudera continued, Tsuna got more and more lost. “Gaah! Gokudera-kun! I’m sorry, I just don’t get it!” He groaned in frustration as he rubbed his head. 

 _/ No-Good-Tsuna is right_ … _/_  

Tsuna blinked confusedly upon hearing that. “Gokudera-kun, did you say something?” 

Gokudera rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Please forgive me for going so fast, Tenth! I’ll explain it more slowly now.” Gokudera began his explanation once more, lowering his intensity as he made sure his boss understood everything he said. “…and after you multiply that final number, you’ll have your answer!” he finished with a satisfied grin. 

Tsuna brushed off the earlier voice with slight discomfort and tried to focus on Gokudera’s explanation. After asking Gokudera a few more questions, he smiled happily. “I… I get it!” Tsuna exclaimed happily, and grinned up at Gokudera. “You’re amazing, Gokudera-kun! Thank you!” 

Gokudera felt his face heat up at the praise, and scratched his cheek in embarrassment. “It was nothing…” Gokudera shook his head as he replied demurely. He then took off his glasses and moved to sit down on the adjacent desk. “Ah, that’s right, Tenth! What would you like to eat today?” he asked rather enthusiastically. Although Gokudera wasn’t much of a cook and often lived on instant meals, he could pull off some decent meals… sometimes. 

Tsuna looked at Gokudera and blinked. “Eat?” It took him a moment before he remembered that he was going to go over to Gokudera’s place that night. “Oh! Um… it doesn’t really matter.” Tsuna rubbed the back of his head. “Just whatever you usually have is fine with me. I’m not picky, Gokudera-kun.” 

Gokudera persisted. “As my guest, please allow me treat you to anything you like, Tenth!” He bowed his head deeply to the other. “It would be an honor, so please don’t hesitate to ask for anything you may want!” 

“Eh?!” Tsuna’s eyes widened slightly before he sighed. He knew Gokudera wouldn’t be satisfied until he made this special for Tsuna. Usually, this type of attention embarrassed him, but for some reason, he couldn’t help but to smile today. “Umm…” Tsuna thought for a moment, trying to think of something simple. “How about… just some ramen?” he suggested. 

Gokudera beamed at the request. “Ramen it is!” he declared, just before the bell rang, signaling the end of break. “Anyway, about this afternoon,” the silver-haired teen continued in a quieter tone once everyone began heading back inside the classroom. “Is it okay if I pick the Tenth up later? I have some errands to run after school first,” Gokudera lied, kind of. _I can’t let the Tenth see my apartment as it is…!_ Gokudera thought, and avoided looking into his boss’ eyes. 

Tsuna blinked for a second but then smiled and nodded. “Sure, it’s fine, Gokudera-kun. I don’t know where you live anyway, so you’d have to pick me up regardless,” he answered with a small laugh as he gathered up his things and moved to return to his desk. 

Gokudera hid his relieved expression. Maybe he’d even have time to make that ramen before the Tenth arrived! This was great! As class started again, Gokudera began making notes of everything he’d have to do this afternoon in G-script, tuning out the teacher’s lecture completely.

 

* * *

 

That afternoon, Yamamoto came up to Tsuna as the brunette was getting up to leave. “Yo, Tsuna! Do you get the homework?” 

Tsuna smiled. “Yeah! Gokudera-kun managed to explain it to me,” he replied happily.  
  
Yamamoto grinned. “That’s great! Can I come over your house for a bit and we can do it together?” he asked.  
  
Tsuna blinked and wondered for a moment if he would have the time… “Well, I really have to get ready for something this afternoon,” he explained with an apologetic smile.  
  
Yamamoto blinked. “Oh? What are you doing, Tsuna?” 

“Well, I’m going over to Gokudera-kun’s place.” 

“…Oh, I see.” Yamamoto smiled after a brief second. “Well, in that case, I’ll try and figure it out myself. See you, Tsuna!” Yamamoto lifted up his hand in a bit of a wave, before jogging out of the classroom. 

Tsuna watched him leave, feeling slightly guilty that he had turned him down. 

Meanwhile, Gokudera was already at his apartment, having rushed over as soon as the last bell rang. He looked around his apartment, which was full of half-burnt cigarettes and dynamites loitering all over the place. His school books were stacked at his desk, looking more worn than they should have (as he had already read them all completely). His kitchen, while not a complete disaster, had a couple of plates and glasses that needed to be washed as well. The worst off was the bathroom, where his jewelry was scattered in disarray. Gokudera pulled back the sleeves of his uniform and tied up his hair before getting to work. _After this, I’ll have to double-check the recipe and hope it doesn’t end up burning again…_ _I wonder how the Tenth likes his. Maybe I should wait for him to come before I prepare it…_  

While Gokudera dealt with tidying up his house, Tsuna headed back home. He was deciding on whether to call Yamamoto later in order to apologize again when he finally arrived. Tsuna called out an “I’m home!” as he closed the door behind him, before kicking off his shoes and heading up the stairs.  
As soon as he entered his room, Tsuna got a bag out from his closet and began packing his clothes as well as other things he would need for the few days he’d be at Gokudera’s place. As he packed, he suddenly felt a prickling feeling in the back of his neck, which vanished as soon as Reborn greeted him with a kick to the back of his head. It sent him flying straight into the wall. 

“Why are you packing, No-Good-Tsuna?” Reborn asked, looking down at his student.  
Tsuna groaned loudly, and rubbed the back of his head. “Do you have to kick me!? And I’m going to stay over at Gokudera-kun’s house!” he said with a frown as he back to where he had been standing and continued to pack. 

Reborn had expected this. “Just remember to take your gloves and your ring. I’ll visit once in a while,” he instructed him. 

Tsuna blinked slightly, surprised that Reborn had accepted this so easily, but he decided not to question it.

 

* * *

 

 _Finally!_ Gokudera’s lips stretched into a grin as he looked around his apartment. It looked as good as new, more or less, anyway. _Okay, and now that the noodles are boiling, I should have enough time to go pick up the Tenth. This took longer than expected._ Gokudera hoped the Tenth hadn’t changed his mind or anything…  He was really looking forward to having his boss over. He still couldn’t believe that the Tenth had even asked to stay over at his place! He couldn’t wait. With that thought in mind, Gokudera picked up his keys and headed out the door, making his way towards the Tenth’s house.  

Tsuna, for his part, had already finished packing. However, for once, he wasn’t waiting in his room. Since the kids had been annoying him inside the house, Tsuna had ended up grabbing the duffel bag he packed everything in, as well as his school bag, and headed out to the yard. He then sat down, resting his back against the wall as he sighed and closed his eyes while he waited for Gokudera. He ended up nodding off, though he startled awake the moment his right-hand man arrived. 

 “Ah, Tenth!” Gokudera’s voice held an apologetic tone. “Sorry for making you wait for so long…!” He apologized fervently, bowing to the other. 

“Hah?” Tsuna rubbed his eyes before blinking, realizing he had fallen asleep. “Ah! Gokudera-kun! It’s okay, really.” Tsuna stood. “I was just tired. It’s not your fault.” He smiled sleepily to Gokudera. 

Gokudera frowned unhappily. What if he had arrived later? The Tenth could have caught a cold! “You should have waited for me inside,” Gokudera scolded him with a worried tone, before biting his lip in self-reproach. “Ah, I apologize for my impertinence, Tenth!” The bomber looked contrite about speaking out of turn. 

Tsuna shook his head and smiled. “No, you’re right. I should have stayed inside.” 

“A-anyway, my place is this way. We should hurry. I left the noodles boiling…” 

Tsuna blinked. “Oh, then we should hurry. We don’t want it to boil over,” he said, before grabbing his rather heavy bag and putting it over his shoulder. With his other hand, he picked up his school bag and then began to walk over to Gokudera. 

Gokudera frowned as he noticed this. “Tenth! Let me help you with those!” he offered, reaching for one of the bags. 

 _/ Don’t let him. /_  

“Ah, you don’t have to, Gokudera-kun.” Tsuna smiled as he held on to his bags tighter, wondering a moment later why he had listened to this strange thought on reflex. “Let’s hurry, before the noodles overcook,” he said quickly, and hurried down the street where they were heading. 

The dynamite-carrier looked disappointed at not being able to help, but didn’t insist. Instead, he began to lead the way to his apartment. “It’ll take about ten more minutes before they overcook, but it will be fine! I don’t live very far.” His place really wasn’t that far. It was only about an eight minute walk. Once they neared the complex, Gokudera began pointing out his apartment, which was on the 5th floor. “It’s the ninth door to the left,” he explained as he led the way inside. 

Tsuna nodded slightly, and looked around for a moment. Now that he thought about it… “Gokudera-kun… Do you… live alone?” Tsuna bit his lip and peered over at Gokudera as they walked. There was no other choice, right? Gokudera had said his parents were in Italy… and there was no chance he was living with Bianchi. Tsuna knew all of this, but it wasn’t until now that he really thought about it. 

Gokudera bobbed his head as he walked. “Ah, yeah, I do,” he replied, and rubbed the back of his head slightly. “It’s nice though. I’ve grown used to it, so I don’t really mind it at all!” he hurriedly reassured his boss; though, in truth, he felt somewhat ashamed about his situation. He had never really explained it to the Tenth—to anyone, really—but after he found out about what his father had done… These last seven years had been hard, but it made him get used to living on his own. It wasn’t that he was keeping his past a secret. It’s just that… he didn’t like talking about it. 

“Oh.” Tsuna walked with him up the stairs, and stayed silent for a moment before looking at Gokudera again. “What about your parents, Gokudera-kun? Why don’t you live with them in Italy?” Tsuna had wondered this for a long time. Gokudera wouldn’t leave his parents just because Reborn told him… right? Something else must be going on. 

Gokudera stayed quiet for a while, shuffling for one of his cigarettes nervously. It had really become somewhat of a bad habit over the years, one that he did subconsciously nowadays. For a moment, he thought about avoiding the question, but since it was the Tenth… 

“I haven’t seen my father in six years…” he admitted somewhat bitterly as they reached the last step of the stairs. “And my mother…” Gokudera trailed off, staring at the ground as they stopped in front of the door to his place. “She’s dead,” he told him quietly. He took out the keys from his pocket after a second, moving to unlock his door. 

Tsuna froze in his tracks. “G-Gokudera-kun… I… I’m so sorry.” Tsuna dropped his bags and looked immediately flustered. “I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry, Gokudera-kun…” 

Gokudera turned around at the sound of the bags hitting the floor. His eyes widened at his boss’ distraught face. “Ah, no, Tenth, you don’t have to apologize for anything…!” he tried to assure him to no avail. His boss only managed to look more upset. 

Tsuna hadn’t imagined Gokudera’s life was like that. It must have been so tough… Tsuna couldn’t resist the urge to step forward and give his friend a tight hug. 

Gokudera’s eyes widened as he felt the Tenth’s arms wrap around him. He felt frozen and unsure of what to do or what to say. Everything felt suddenly warm, and there was a weird tugging sensation at his chest that he didn’t quite understand; but more importantly, the Tenth was upset, and Gokudera needed to reassure him everything was alright. 

“Tenth…” Gokudera hesitated, and then brought up his hand to tentatively rest on his boss’ back. Somewhere along the way he found himself pulling him closer. He gulped, and tried to ignore that weird tugging at his chest again. “It’s alright…” He tried not to focus on the arms wrapped around his waist, but it was hard not to considering he couldn’t remember the last time he had been hugged. “I don’t mind if it’s you, Tenth, since… it’s because of the Tenth that I was saved,” Gokudera confessed quietly.  

Tsuna felt his face heat up once Gokudera actually returned the embrace. He tried to ignore this feeling and instead focused on Gokudera’s words, trying to understand why his friend counted on him so much. “Why?” Tsuna whispered, his brows furrowed as he stepped back a little to look up at Gokudera. “Why me, Gokudera-kun? Why did you come to Japan?” he asked, before immediately adding, “But… you don’t have to answer, Gokudera-kun. Only if you want to…” he said, looking down a bit. 

Gokudera was silent for a moment. His body tensed as his tongue tasted the confession on his lips. “The truth is… I…” Gokudera’s nervousness resurfaced, and he hesitated to continue. It felt humiliating to admit it after trying to run away from the truth for so long. He had to force himself to continue. “I’m… I’m an illegitimate child,” he confessed, murmuring this in a quiet rush. He reminisced about how his life had changed after he’d found this out himself and how he had subsequently run away from home. To this day, he had never regretted his decision. However… “Because of this…” Gokudera bit his lip, hesitating. “Well, things weren’t exactly easy for me in Italy. I got involved in all kinds of trouble as I tried to join other Mafia Families but…” Gokudera’s throat tightened as if wanting to prevent his next admission. “No one really wanted someone like me.” The bitter truth stung his tongue and made his chest constrict in remembrance. Gokudera did his best to ignore it as he continued. 

“But then,” he said after another moment. He pulled back and moved to rest his hands on his boss’ shoulders, nudging him back as well so he could stare straight into his boss’ eyes. Gokudera’s own began to shine with gratitude as he continued. “When I heard about you, Tenth, someone who was my age, I thought to myself, ‘Maybe this is my chance to prove myself…!’” Gokudera’s felt his chest fill with warmth as he recalled the moment he decided to follow the Tenth. Never once had he regretted his decision either. “You were the first one to accept me for who I was, Tenth. You saved me despite my attempts to attack you!” Resisting the urge to throw his arms around his boss again, Gokudera instead bowed deeply from his waist as he exclaimed, “Thank you very much!” 

“Gokudera-kun…” Tsuna looked at him with wide, watery eyes. The brunette felt his chest tighten, and his lips tugged down into a frown. Tsuna knew that he never really… appreciated Gokudera fully and thought of him only as a dear friend, but this anxious feeling that was pounding in his chest… As Tsuna’s pattering heartbeat continued to beat desperately in his chest, Tsuna began to suspect it was something more. Although what, he didn’t know. “No…  Gokudera-kun…” Tsuna pressed his lips together before lifting the corners into a soft smile that reached his eyes. He felt a few tears slipped down his cheeks as he blinked but didn’t move to wipe them away. “Thank you,” he murmured quietly instead. “You were… you were the first person to have so much faith in me. I… can really depend on you. So, thank you, Gokudera-kun… for everything you’ve done for me.” 

These words made Gokudera happier than his boss could possibly imagine. It made his heart race happily and with relief, washing away his secret doubts of inadequacy. But when he saw his boss’ eyes begin to water… 

“Tenth!” Gokudera’s eyes widened and his hand shot up towards the other’s cheek. He lingered there though, not quite touching him. His lips tilted down into a frown as he pleaded a quiet, “Don’t cry…” 

Gokudera’s wavering hand moved to brush away the tears, his thumb a gentle hesitant touch against the other’s cheek. His heartbeat sped up even more, but now for a different reason that Gokudera couldn’t quite understand. 

“Please…” the silver-haired teen ended up murmuring lowly, sounding almost upset. He hadn’t wanted to make the other cry of all things. “Please don’t cry, Tenth…” Slowly, unconsciously, Gokudera began to move closer as if something possessed his body. All he wanted, needed, was to make everything better somehow. He drew so close that he could feel the other’s heartbeat race as quickly as his own. Gokudera didn’t understand why, and he didn’t care why. He just wanted his boss to smile at him again. He wanted to wipe away that sad expression from his boss’ eyes. “Tenth…” he whispered softly, and it felt like his mind was going blank because the moment he looked into the other’s eyes Gokudera couldn’t help but to want to… 

A loud beeping noise suddenly rang out from the inside of his apartment. Startled by it, Gokudera jolted away and remembered what exactly was causing that sound. “The noodles!” His eyes widened immediately, and a second later, Gokudera was rushing past his front door and towards the kitchen. 

Tsuna just looked at Gokudera. His touches brought jolts up his spine. His heart was beating a mile a second and heat was blossoming warmly in his chest. This felt similar to the Dying Will Flame… but much more powerful. The moment was broken, though, when Gokudera ran into his apartment. Tsuna just stood there in mild shock for a moment. To be brought so high and then shot down so suddenly… it made his chest feel so cold. Trying to ignore this weird feeling, Tsuna grabbed his bags and walked in, closing the door behind him as he did. 

Gokudera, in the meanwhile, was silently reprimanding himself. _What was I thinking?! Saying all those things to the Tenth… Acting so inappropriately!_ Gokudera scowled, berating himself as he removed the noodles from the hot stove and turned the heat off. His hands jittered as he lit up a cigarette, trying to calm his nerves and racing heart… What was wrong with him? He groaned quietly to himself. He didn’t understand what he was doing or feeling. As he inhaled the chilling, calming nicotine into his body, Gokudera tried to shake these thoughts away. 

Tsuna dropped his bags by the door and took off his shoes at the entrance. His face set into a frown as he began heading towards the kitchen. But after taking just a few steps, Tsuna stopped in his tracks and let out a startled breath. His hand reached up to clutch at his chest. The mild discomfort from earlier was beginning to increase. Before he knew it, Tsuna was gripping tightly at his chest. This cold… it wasn’t mental. It was… physical. Tsuna gasped sharply and fell back against the door as a shiver racked up his body. “Nngh!” He let out a whimper as the cold feeling turned painful. Tsuna couldn’t hold it in… He couldn’t… hold in the scream. 

“AAGH!!” Tsuna turned and scraped his nails against the wall. His body trembled. His skin was turning cold. It felt like every inch of him was being stabbed by sharp cold needles. 

“G-GOKUDERA!!” Tsuna cried out in pain, falling to his knees and feeling as though something was trying to force itself out of him. 

“T-Tenth!?” Gokudera’s body jolted, his heart almost stopping as he heard his name being called so heart-wrenchingly. “Tenth!” he shouted in alarm as he rushed to the entrance, where he had last seen his boss. What if someone had come in to assassinate him? Gokudera panicked. _Stupid! How could I just leave him there! Idiot!_ He berated himself. 

But when he arrived to the entrance, all Gokudera saw was the Tenth’s fallen, shaking body which was curled up on his floor. His cigarette slipped out of his lips as he stared at his boss in shock for a moment. But then he was rushing towards the trembling body, wide-eyed in panic. “Tenth? What’s wrong?!” he demanded, his hands checking for injuries, eyes roaming at a fast speed. He ran his hands over the Tenth’s body, his own body shaking in fear. “What happened?!” 

“G-Gokudera-kun!” Tsuna gasped, gripping the other’s hands with a strength the brunette didn’t have before. “It… It hurts!!” Tsuna panted, a pained expression crossing his face. His skin kept getting colder by the second. A moment later, he was crying out again. His brown eyes flickered between orange and back, the Dying Will Flame flashing on his forehead before disappearing. Finally… Tsuna went limp and passed out. The heat slowly began to return to his body once more. 

Gokudera thought his heart would burst out of his chest as he held the brunette’s ice-cold body in his arms. He winced at the Tenth’s painful grip, but panicked even more when said grip fell limp, and his boss passed out. “Tenth…?” He shook the unconscious body, hoping the other would wake up. 

“Tenth!” Gokudera gave him a quick checkup once more, taking his heartbeat and temperature. After taking a deep breath, Gokudera quickly picked up his boss’ body, and took him to his room. He paced around his room after he placed the Tenth under his covers. His boss looked so pale…What had happened? Gokudera tried to calm down, to no avail. 

“I need to call Shamal…” the smoker muttered breathlessly as he stepped out of the room and lit up another cigarette with shaky hands. He took a couple of hits, inhaling deeply, but it was no good; Gokudera could not calm down while his boss remained unconscious. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. He really needed to call Shamal…Gokudera had learned a little medicine from him before, but this was way out of his hands. He had no idea what was wrong with the Tenth. 

“That stupid quack… I’ll kill him if he doesn’t attend to you, Tenth…”

 


	3. Target 02: Feelings Emerge

Gokudera dialed the number of Shamal’s cell and willed his hands to stop trembling. He took another shaky puff of his cigarette as he waited for Shamal to pick up. 

“Amy-chan~! Is that you~?” Shamal’s voice held a playful tone. “I’m sorry about yesterday! She wasn’t supposed to be over until tomorrow! Would you like to come over today and we can finish where we left off~?” 

“You. Damn. Pervert! Does it sound like I’m ‘Amy-chan’?” Gokudera growled harshly into his phone, pounding his fist against the wall. 

“Oh. It’s you.” Shamal’s tone of voice changed completely. “What is it now, Hayato?” 

Gokudera’s anger diffused completely. “Please come over to my apartment,” he pleaded, feeling completely desperate. “Please, Shamal, I need your help! The Tenth… There’s something wrong with him!” Gokudera held on to his cell phone tightly, fearing Shamal would refuse him. 

“The Vongola brat? You know more than anyone that I don’t treat men, Hayato,” Shamal replied predictably. 

“You quack! You know I wouldn’t ask you to do this if it wasn’t serious…!” 

“Absolutely not, Hayato. I don’t treat men under any circumstances! Only women!” Shamal said, before checking his watch. “Now, I must be heading off~! I have a date!” 

“Dammit, Shamal! I’ll do anything!” Gokudera shouted into his phone in frustration. “I’m not asking you to treat him at all! I just need to know what’s wrong with him… I’ll take care of the rest!” 

“…” There was a silence on the other line as Shamal considered it. The doctor glanced at his watch again and sighed. “I’ll be over in ten minutes,” he grumbled, before hanging up, shrugging on his jacket, and heading out. 

Gokudera sighed in relief and put out his cigarette. He walked back into his room and sat down woozily at his desk, cradling his head as he felt his relief course through him. After a couple of minutes, he shot a worried glance in the direction of the bed. He moved his chair over so he could keep a closer watch over the unconscious brunette. “Please be okay, Tenth…” he murmured as he waited for Shamal to show up.

In exactly ten minutes, there was a knock at the door. 

“Hayato! It’s me!” Shamal called from the door as he knocked again. He wanted to get this over with. He had a date to attend to. 

Gokudera rushed towards the door, murmured an agitated greeting, and quickly got to the point. “He’s in my room,” he told the doctor, closing the door after him. 

“Yes, yes. I figured.” Shamal was already walking inside and soon entered the bedroom. He took out his stethoscope then and looked at the unconscious Tsuna, grimacing slightly at the lack of breasts on his patient as he pulled back the blankets and lifted Tsuna’s shirt. With an annoyed sigh, he placed the stethoscope on Tsuna’s chest, and listened. “What happened, Hayato?” he asked as he worked. 

Gokudera followed him, leaning against a wall and crossing his arms against his chest as he waited for Shamal’s verdict. He felt oddly vulnerable. “I don’t know… We were just talking!” Gokudera’s brows furrowed in confusion; his voice was full of worry. “I left him for a second. I was in the kitchen when the Tenth screamed my name. He was on the floor, shaking, by the time I found him…” Gokudera’s eyes closed tightly as he recalled the image; his fingers itched to light another cigarette. “He… His body was really cold, and right before he passed out, it was as if he was going into his Hyper Dying Will mode. The flame… It kept _flickering_ ,” he explained hesitantly, not sure of what exactly he had seen. 

Shamal glanced at Gokudera when he mentioned the Dying Will mode before straightening up and pulling down Tsuna’s shirt. He looked at Gokudera for a moment as he ran his fingers through his hair. “There’s nothing you can do for him,” he said simply, and began to pack up his things. 

“W-what?!” Gokudera was startled by the abrupt words. “What do you mean? What’s wrong with him?!” He began to panic again. 

“Don’t worry, he’s not dying. Reborn would probably be able to explain things better but… Well, his Dying Will seems to be getting a mind of its own,” Shamal explained simply, not looking at Gokudera as he picked up his bag. “Well, goodbye, Hayato! I’m off to my date!” he said cheerily as he moved to walk out of the room. 

“A… mind of its own?” Gokudera repeated incredulously. “…What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!” The bomb-user growled in frustration, slamming his fist hard against the wall. “There’s got to be something I can do!” he insisted, grinding his teeth. “Dammit…” 

Shamal sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I’ll tell Reborn about this. He knows his little student best. He’ll be able to do a lot more than I can,” he said, before turning to leave. “If you need me again, Hayato, please think twice before you call!” Shamal called back, and closed the door shut behind him. 

Gokudera slid back into the chair next to his bed, feeling suddenly exhausted. He gazed at his boss’ sleeping face which looked so peaceful… Tentatively, he reached over to check the other’s temperature again. He didn’t feel cold anymore but it didn’t look like his boss was going to wake up any time soon. Gokudera frowned. “Please be okay, Tenth…” he whispered, watching over him in concern. 

But as he waited for his boss to wake up, Gokudera ended up nodding off.

 

* * *

 

About half an hour later, Tsuna finally woke up, his body fully rested from the shock it had received. The brunette rubbed his eyes and sat up a bit before noticing Gokudera, who was slumped over the bed and asleep. “G-Gokudera-kun…” Tsuna whispered softly before he reached over and gently shook the other’s shoulder. “Gokudera-kun?” 

“Tenth…” Gokudera murmured in his sleep. 

Tsuna froze for a moment, his cheeks heating up upon hearing Gokudera’s voice. Was he dreaming about him? What was he doing that for? A funny feeling like butterflies fluttered around in his stomach as he remembered just how much Gokudera trusted him. The pressure was unnerving. He shuffled around in bed a bit, shifting closer to his right-hand man as he just looked at him. 

_/ He’s your subordinate. Your underling. He is nothing more. /_  

Tsuna bit his lip slightly, rubbing his forehead. Where was this voice coming from? It felt so familiar, and yet it was saying such things. “Gokudera-kun…” Tsuna shook the other’s shoulder again, wanting to hear a more desirable voice. 

“Te…Tenth?” Gokudera murmured sleepily as he pried his eyes open and gazed up at the figure above him. He became alert in an instant. “Tenth! You’re awake!” Gokudera exclaimed, throwing his arms around his boss before he could stop himself. “I was so worried!” 

Tsuna tensed slightly but quickly hugged him back. “I’m sorry, Gokudera-kun,” he said softly, holding on to him tightly. But Tsuna quickly caught himself and forced himself to loosen his grip. What had even happened to him? He didn’t feel any more pain. There wasn’t any heat and he didn’t feel the Dying Will lingering under the surface anymore. “Should… should we call Doctor Shamal? Or Reborn?” He looked at Gokudera worriedly. 

Gokudera bit his lip at the question, before shaking his head. “I already called Shamal,” he said, faltering as he looked down at his lap and wondered how to explain what the quack had told him. 

“Tenth…” Gokudera’s expression was a mix of frustration and helplessness. “That guy, he said that your Dying Will was getting a mind of its own…” 

Tsuna stared at Gokudera for a moment. He first thought of how weird it was for Shamal to have actually come and checked him over. Shamal was famous for being picky about his patients and would only treat the ones that had breasts. But then, at Gokudera’s last words, Tsuna was at a lost. He didn’t really know what to make of that. He remembered the times he’d spent in his Dying Will mode and how different it had been the previous night. “What does that mean?” He looked at Gokudera, unsure of what to think, of what to do. It didn’t cross his mind until after he’d said it that Gokudera probably knew as much as he did. 

Gokudera nearly wilted at the question. “I… I don’t know. Shamal didn’t say much, only that he’d call Reborn-san after, since he would know what to do…” Gokudera bit his lip. 

Tsuna looked down and nodded slightly. Yeah, Reborn would know what to do. They were his bullets, after all. He nodded again, with more resolution. “Alright. Reborn will take care of it.” He looked back at Gokudera. “It’ll be okay.” _I hope._ “This isn’t the first time Reborn has had to help me.” 

Gokudera met his boss’ gaze, looking worried. “Then, until the Tenth is better… Please tell me if there’s anything wrong. I’ll do anything I can to help!” he promised. 

Tsuna smiled a bit. “Yeah, I know. Thank you, Gokudera-kun,” he said, though as usual, he was forever put off-guard by Gokudera’s enthusiasm. Still, he was happy to have a friend, especially now. But until Reborn showed up, Tsuna wanted nothing more than to forget about all of this. He wanted to relax. “So…” Tsuna’s smile turned sheepish. “I guess no ramen, huh?” 

Gokudera felt a bit more at ease upon seeing his boss’ smile. Though he still looked worried, he couldn’t help but to smile as well at his boss’ attempt to lighten up the mood. “I guess not…”  Gokudera looked sheepish as he answered, and he was about to offer to go continue cooking when his stomach growled loudly, making its opinion on the matter loud and clear. “Um, we could order take-out…” he offered instead. 

Tsuna nodded. “Yeah, that sounds great. I’ll get some of my money and we can split the cost,” he said, standing up to go get his bag, which had had left by the front door. 

Gokudera had been about to ask his boss what kind of food he would like to eat, but upon hearing the offer, he reached a hand out to stop him. “Don’t worry about it, Tenth! I’ll take care of it!” he assured him earnestly. After all, Gokudera was the host. His boss shouldn’t waste his money! 

But for some reason, his words were not to be taken as lightly as usual. 

Tsuna suddenly whirled around then and backhanded Gokudera across the face. _“_ / _You don’t think I can take care of myself?! You would defy my orders?! /”_ The Dying Will Flames were roaring angrily on his forehead as Tsuna growled… but they disappeared just a moment later. Tsuna’s eyes widened in mortification. He pulled back his hand, holding it as if it was threatening to hit Gokudera again. “Gokudera-kun!  I’m… I’m so sorry!” What had just happened? Why had he done that? 

Gokudera blinked and felt completely and utterly bewildered. “I’m… sorry?” Gokudera raised a hand to touch his stinging cheek, looking wide-eyed and confused. He barely registered the brunette’s nervous apologies. “I…” He stared at his boss with an entirely mystified expression. Was this what Shamal had meant? 

“No, Gokudera-kun! This isn’t your fault!” Tsuna quickly moved forward and did the only think he could think of. He hugged the teen in front of him, trying to comfort him like Gokudera had done earlier. It was a weird sort of urge but he did it anyway. Then again, Tsuna supposed it might not work when he wasn’t calm himself. His chest felt tight as his hands gripped the back of Gokudera’s shirt. “I didn’t mean to do that—I don’t know why…” Tsuna trailed off, his brows furrowing in confusion. “I never want to hurt you,” he murmured, his voice sounding utterly miserable. 

Gokudera tensed as he felt the Tenth wrap his arms around him once more, but the action served to break him out of his trance immediately. He quickly tried to reassure his boss, bringing up a hesitant hand to rest on the other’s shoulders. “Tenth, it’s fine! I understand…” he told him soothingly as he wondered what one was supposed to do in this type of situation. 

That wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. Tsuna had hurt Gokudera, and now Gokudera was comforting him? Tsuna felt his eyes prickle in frustration, and a few tears slipped past his eyes unnoticed. “Gokudera-kun, I’m so sorry…” he mumbled miserably as he buried his face into Gokudera’s chest. 

_Oh, God. The Tenth is crying, what do I do?!_ Gokudera inwardly panicked, and tried not to flail. “Tenth, it’s okay, really!” he tried to assure him to no avail. Not knowing what else to do, Gokudera began to nudge the other back, much like before. It pained him to see his boss’ distraught expression, so Gokudera cupped his boss’ face, holding his cheeks delicately in his hands as he wiped the wet tears that fell with his thumbs. “Please, don’t cry…” he pleaded with a pained but earnest expression. 

Though he was not really aware at first how close he was to the other, it didn’t take long for Gokudera to notice their breaths were mingling. His fingertips burned hot, and his heart slowed into near stillness in his chest, but Gokudera didn’t dare move. All he wanted was for his boss to calm down. 

Another shudder ran up Tsuna’s spine as he looked into Gokudera’s eyes, unable to tear away his gaze. He leaned into the touch, and his hands found their way up to Gokudera’s face as well. Tsuna could hear his heart pounding. “Gokudera-kun…” he whispered, his mind without restraint. Gokudera trusted him. Gokudera trusted him so much. He trusted Gokudera too. Tsuna swallowed a bit before licking his lips in hesitation. The thought crossed his mind, and he found himself wondering if he was crazy. Maybe he was, because he was asking the question before he could even begin to think twice. “Would you please… kiss me?” 

Gokudera’s cheeks burned at the other’s touch. And at his words… “Tenth?” Gokudera whispered in shock as he felt his heart try to slip out his throat. There was a moment of hesitance, full of wonder and disbelief. The longing he’d been keeping in his chest for what felt like forever was threatening to burst. Finally, nervously, Gokudera tentatively leaned in and closed the gap between them. 

It felt… wonderful. 

Gokudera’s heart thumped loudly in his chest. His body felt warm, but it also thrummed with insecurity. He was sure his hands were shaking, but Gokudera steadied them as best as he could and slid them from his boss’ cheeks and towards the back of his neck instead. He pulled the other closer, trying to meld their mouths together into one as his mind began to lose its reservations. He ran his tongue slightly over the other’s lips before he could stop himself, wanting, needing more. 

Tsuna gasped as the contact sent the fire in his chest into a blaze. Electricity buzzed across his skin, especially his lips. “Gokudera-kun…” Tsuna murmured against the other’s lips. His hands were shaking, but he wrapped his arms around the other’s neck, his mouth opening for Gokudera’s tongue when he felt it brush against his lips. “Nngh…” The sensation felt foreign and strange, but so good. Tsuna was slightly nervous but he knew he wanted this. This was what he had been waiting for. What he had been anticipating. 

_I’m kissing the Tenth…_

Gokudera’s cheeks burned hotly, and his heart began to beat even more erratically when he felt the Tenth open up to him. At that moment, it felt as if a dam had broken inside of him, drowning him with heat and desire. All of his qualms flew out of his mind as the Tenth groaned his name; the sound sent a thrill through his body that it had never felt before. He held on tighter to the brunette as he became lost in their kiss, all tongue and warmth and need. He wasn’t even sure when they ended up stumbling back onto the bed or when his hands had slid under the other’s shirt, exploring the warm skin underneath. Gokudera felt as if his body was burning, and he could not get enough of it. His tongue slid inside the other’s mouth as his chest ached desperately. 

Tsuna’s breath hitched in his throat, and his back arched a bit to meet the other’s hands. He shuddered, and pressed the other closer, and then— 

And then, there was a knock on the door. 

Tsuna jolted and froze for a second. His eyes snapped open and he stared at Gokudera as if just realizing the position they were in, and what they had been about to do. He gripped Gokudera’s shirt and pushed him back a little bit. “G-Gokudera-kun!” he squeaked, somewhat breathlessly. “T-there’s someone at the door. You should go get it!” 

Gokudera’s body froze as well. He stared down at his boss with wide eyes for a full second, before springing back as if he had been burned. “Tenth!” Gokudera looked half-way horrified. “I—” There was an immensely guilty look gathering in his eyes. He halfway wanted to throw himself down on the ground to apologize and halfway wanted to run far away in mortification. He ignored the disappointment that was welling inside him, closing his eyes tightly as he finally forced himself to speak. “I… I’ll get the door.” He bit his lip. “S-sorry, Tenth,” he murmured, almost too quietly to hear, before he fled towards the door. 

_What the hell am I doing?_ Gokudera berated himself, feeling angry at himself. He tried to ignore the ache in his heart that just kept growing by the second, trying to push all of this back as he opened the door. He wondered for a brief second just who had interrupted them. Not many people knew where he lived… 

“Huh?” Gokudera was startled to see the baseball idiot outside his apartment, with a bag of leftover sushi from his dad’s restaurant dangling from one of his hands. Gokudera’s eyes widened. “What the hell are _you_ doing here?!” he blurted out without thinking. 

“Yo, Gokudera!” Yamamoto grinned once the door was opened. “I heard Tsuna was staying here so I decided to come over. You guys hungry?” He smiled and held up the bag. 

Tsuna, who had straightened his clothes out while Gokudera made for the door and was now by the entrance as well, blinked in confusion. “Yamamoto… How did you get here?” he said, as the blush on his face receded from his cheeks. 

“That kid told me where Gokudera lives,” Yamamoto explained happily. 

Gokudera tried not to jump away from his boss’s side, and instead focused on the irritation he felt at this declaration. _Oh, great. This idiot knows where I live now._ For the first time ever, the smoker questioned Reborn’s character. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Tch. Saves us the trouble of ordering food anyway,” he muttered grumpily, scowling as Yamamoto made his way in. 

Yamamoto chuckled slightly. “Thanks, Gokudera. I probably should have called ahead.” He grinned sheepishly, placing the bag on the table. “Yo, Tsuna! Has Gokudera been a good host?” he asked, putting his arm around Tsuna’s shoulders. 

Tsuna flushed and avoided looking at Gokudera. “Y-yeah. Great host…” 

“Don’t act so casual around the Tenth!” Gokudera growled, and tried to ignore the sheer guilt that bubbled up inside him at Yamamoto’s words. He stared down at the floor as he fought to keep down his troubled feelings. He felt suffocated… Taking Yamamoto’s bag, he headed towards the kitchen. “I’ll go and serve this and bring out something to drink,” he told them, glad to have an excuse to be by himself. 

Yamamoto did his best to keep his cheer. The tension in the room was palpable. Despite the common misconception about the baseball player, Yamamoto was not an idiot.   
  
He smiled a bit to Gokudera. “Nah, it’s fine. I’ll do it!” he volunteered, grabbing the bag instead to go and serve it. “My old man made it after all!” he said with a laugh, before he moved and closed the door to the kitchen behind him. He did in fact get to work serving it… but he kept a sharp ear out for any conversation. 

Gokudera felt panic well within him as he stared at Yamamoto leave through the kitchen door. He half wanted to yell at him for leaving them alone—but Gokudera could barely feel the will to say a word. His heart stuttered anxiously in his chest as he did his best to avoid looking at his boss. 

Tsuna swallowed. He stared at the door for a moment until his gaze was attracted to Gokudera. He looked at him only for a second before quickly deciding that staring at the floor was a much wiser decision. “Um…” Breaking the silence felt like smashing a window. “I’ll just… wait here, I guess,” he said, slowly sidling over to a chair. 

Gokudera’s instinctive nod was more of a flinch. “I… I’m gonna go help that idiot,” he stammered nervously after a long, awkward moment of silence, and then nervously escaped off to the kitchen. 

He tried not to let the tension he was feeling show. 

Inside the kitchen, Yamamoto was taking out some plates from the pantry. He set them aside, before turning to place the sushi on a serving platter. He looked perfectly fine on the outside, but inside, he was not fine at all. There was something up. “Hey, Gokudera. You don’t need to help me out, you know.” He grinned. 

Gokudera shrugged, and tried not to look too uneasy as he crossed his arms and he leaned over the counter. “I’m just making sure you don’t break anything,” he bantered, trying to fall into their usual routine in an attempt to distract himself. 

Yamamoto smiled slightly. “I’m not that clumsy,” he told the other softly. After a moment, he spoke up again. “So… Gokudera. What have you and Tsuna been doing this afternoon?” He glanced up at him as he finished serving, but his hands didn’t stop moving. He began to fiddle with the plates, his fingers not wanting to stay still. 

Gokudera gulped nervously at the question. “I was helping the Tenth with that extra homework we got this morning,” he muttered, almost wishing that was the truth. 

“Really?” Yamamoto looked at Gokudera. “Because… Tsuna told me you already did that at lunch today,” he said. He observed Gokudera’s nervousness slowly seep into his expression. It was something that Yamamoto didn’t enjoy. 

Gokudera’s eyes widened slightly in shock but he hid it quickly. “We weren’t quite done yet,” he nearly stammered, feeling his heart begin to pound anxiously. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away from the other’s probing gaze. “Mainly we were just talking… Does it matter?” he asked defensively, almost aggressively, as a scowl settled on his face. 

Yamamoto was no stranger to Gokudera’s aggressiveness, but this time, he seemed more hostile than usual. He was tempted to push harder, ask more questions. He wanted to know what Gokudera was hiding; at the same time, he was scared of what he might find. So he pulled back. Yamamoto smiled at Gokudera. “No, I suppose it doesn’t.” He laughed lightly, before grabbing the plates and taking them to the living room. 

Tsuna hadn’t moved, still sitting anxiously in the chair. He kept stewing in his own thoughts and emotions, so much so that he felt relieved when Gokudera and Yamamoto returned from the kitchen. 

“Ah, Yamamoto, I forgot. Did you ever figure out the homework?” Tsuna asked him amiably. 

Yamamoto laughed slightly. “I haven’t had the time. Baseball practice and then helping my old man, you know.” 

Gokudera felt chills run down his back. For some reason, he felt as if Yamamoto was onto them. He tried to ignore this feeling as he moved to take a seat, but it was impossible. _What if that idiot asks the Tenth what we did this afternoon?_ Gokudera glanced at them both nervously for a moment before turning his attention to the sushi. He began to serve some on his plate, trying to look casual instead of the nervous wreck that he was. 

“Oh, well. If you brought your homework with you, we can help?” Tsuna offered with a smile. 

Yamamoto smiled in return. “I didn’t, sorry. I guess I’ll do it later tonight.” He laughed as he sat down next to Gokudera, across from Tsuna. 

“Oh, but don’t stay up too late, Yamamoto.” Tsuna frowned in concern. 

Yamamoto grinned. “You too. You and Gokudera are going to party, right? Sleepovers are always fun!” He then looked at Gokudera. “Hey, can I stay over?” he asked the other cheekily. 

Gokudera tensed slightly. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure if he felt relieved or panicked at this question. On one hand, the thought of Yamamoto staying at his house irritated him, on principle if not anything else, but also because the baseball player might find out… about before. Gokudera didn’t know how much longer he and the Tenth could keep up this act up. Gokudera already felt at his wit’s end. 

Speaking of which… Now that he thought about it, the thought of Yamamoto leaving his apartment suddenly terrified him. To be left alone with the Tenth after all that had happened… Gokudera didn’t think he could do it. But he couldn’t just say that, could he? 

“Tch, don’t you have to get back to that homework of yours?” he answered instead as he scowled down at his plate. 

“Ah, if Yamamoto stays over, he still has to go back home and get his things, right?” Tsuna tried not to sound too eager. Now, the thought of spending the night alone with Gokudera made the nervousness bubble ever higher in his chest. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Gokudera, of course! But Yamamoto had always acted as a buffer for the dynamite user. Having him close by was something of a comfort. 

“Yeah, and I’ll pick up my homework along with my things! I’m sure my old man wouldn’t mind.” Yamamoto smiled as he looked back at Gokudera, awaiting an answer. 

“Tch, whatever. You’re sleeping on the floor though!” Gokudera snapped but didn’t look up from his plate. He tried not dwell on the ache he felt upon hearing his boss’ relieved tone. 

Yamamoto laughed in his usual carefree way. “No problem! I’ll even bring my own pillow and blanket. I don’t want to trouble you too much, Gokudera,” he said, putting his arm around the other’s neck before rubbing his fist into the silver locks. 

Tsuna smiled lightly at this, slightly more at ease now. 

“Get… off… me!” Gokudera protested as he tried to struggle away from Yamamoto’s grip. He elbowed the other in the stomach, hoping to loosen the hold. He felt his temper become shorter and shorter by the second. 

“Oof!” Yamamoto let go of Gokudera and rubbed his stomach with a laugh. “A little touchy, Gokudera?” he teased the other. 

Gokudera shrugged Yamamoto off with a scowl. 

Tsuna, on the other hand, let out a nervous laugh and looked to the side uncomfortably. 

Yamamoto noticed the tension build up again. “Hey, is everything alright? Even Gokudera isn’t this depressed all the time.” His lips tugged down slightly in worry. 

Tsuna looked at him for a moment. “Well, uh…” 

“You shouldn’t keep secrets from your Family, Tsuna.” 

“REBORN!” 

“Ciaossu.” Reborn smiled from the middle of the table where he had apparently appeared out of nowhere. 

“Reborn-san!” Gokudera glanced wide-eyed at the Tenth, trying not to freak out. This was definitely not someone he wanted here right now! Gokudera hadn’t felt this stressed since the last time Bianchi tried to feed him her Poison Cooking. In fact, he would rather put himself through that again than to be in this situation. 

Yamamoto smiled. “Hey, kid! What did you mean by keeping secrets?” he asked. 

Tsuna immediately reached out and grabbed Reborn, covering his mouth. “Nothing! Nothing at all, Yamamot—OUCH!!” Reborn bit Tsuna’s hand, and once the brunette let him go, the future Vongola boss received a kick to the face that knocked him back a few feet. “Don’t touch me,” Reborn said, brushing off his coat. 

Gokudera felt his stomach drop as the situation became more and more hopeless. “Tenth!” He rushed over and fussed over his fallen boss. “Are you alright?” he asked as he tried to help his boss up from the floor without touching him too much. 

Tsuna rubbed his nose and nodded. “Y-yeah… I’m fine, Gokudera-kun,” he assured the other, but frowned in Reborn’s direction. 

“Oh, was that the secret?” Yamamoto looked at Reborn who had moved onto his shoulder. 

Reborn nodded. 

Yamamoto smiled slightly at Tsuna. “You guys didn’t have to keep that from me. Don’t worry, Tsuna. We’ll find out what’s wrong.” 

Tsuna blinked, confused for a moment, and then his eyes widened in comprehension as he remembered exactly what had led to all this. _That’s right… My Dying Will…_  

“Shamal told me about what happened. You should probably do your best to stay out of Dying Will mode unless you really need it, Tsuna,” Reborn said with a smile that indicated they’d speak later. It seemed Reborn had told Yamamoto about Tsuna’s current “illness” and not about what had happened just half an hour before. It was a mystery though whether or not Reborn even knew about that. 

Gokudera felt a mixture of relief and worry at the Arcobaleno’s words. _Does he know?_ He wondered minutely, before inwardly berating himself for focusing on such a thing when he should be focusing on his boss’ well-being. “You mean, you don’t know why this is happening, Reborn-san?” He had been hoping that the Arcobaleno had more information on what was happening to the Tenth. Gokudera ran a hand through his hair, feeling his earlier helplessness return. He wanted to help the Tenth more than anything. He felt useless not knowing what to do. 

Reborn looked at Gokudera. “I have a hunch. But I need to talk to the Ninth before anything.” He looked at Tsuna then. “Stay away from Dying Will mode. Rely on your Family for now,” he told him. 

“Alright, Reborn,” Tsuna said with a small sigh, hoping he wouldn’t need to use the Dying Will. 

Gokudera looked at his boss upon hearing his dejected tone. He tried to cheer him up. “Just leave everything to me, Tenth! There won’t be any need for you to use your Dying Will. I’ll take care of anyone who gets in our way!” 

“Me too, don’t worry, Tsuna!” Yamamoto smiled happily. 

Reborn nodded. “The Family should always stay together,” he said in approval, before he jumped down from Yamamoto’s shoulder and waved. “Ciao Ciao. I’ll come tomorrow to check up on you, Tsuna,” he said, before walking over to Gokudera’s wall and pressing a hand to it. A part of it pulled away to reveal a hidden door. Reborn walked in and went down the elevator. A second later, the wall returned itself to normal as if nothing had happened. 

Tsuna gaped. “…He has hideouts even in your apartment?” 

“As… expected from Reborn-san…” Gokudera stared open-mouth at the wall where the Arcobaleno had disappeared in, feeling awed. He then flinched slightly, wondering what else was in his apartment that he didn’t know about… He shivered self-consciously. “A-anyway,” Gokudera turned to address Yamamoto. “As the Tenth’s right-hand, I’ll make sure to watch over him!” Gokudera’s usual competitive glint shone in his eyes. “You should just go home already and pick up your stuff, baseball freak. Go on, we’ll save you some food.” Gokudera shooed him off, wanting to get this over with already. 

Yamamoto laughed slightly. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be back in a little while!” He grinned as he stood up. “Don’t freak out while I’m gone, Tsuna.” He moved over to ruffle Tsuna’s hair, teasing the other before turning to leave. 

Tsuna smiled slightly at Yamamoto’s actions and watched him go. But as the door closed shut behind him, that’s when he realized… 

They were alone again. 

Tsuna tensed, feeling his earlier nervousness return full force. 

_Oh, God. What now?_ he thought. 

Gokudera took a couple of seconds to realize the same thing. He had gotten so caught up in one-upping Yamamoto as usual that he had forgotten about what had happened already. 

_Fuck. I’m such an idiot._ Gokudera’s glanced towards his boss’ nervous expression and felt himself grow anxious. He looked back down to the floor. 

_Now what?_

 


	4. Target 03: Hearts In Conflict

It took a while before any of them spoke. Tsuna had to clear his throat twice before he stopped squeaking nervously. “G-Gokudera-kun, can I… ask you something?” 

“What is it, Tenth?” Gokudera answered, looking equally as nervous. 

Tsuna fidgeted, and thought this might go better if they sat down. “Um, can we sit first?” 

Gokudera nodded sharply, his head bobbing in a quick awkward motion. The two headed for the couch and paused, before awkwardly sitting down next to each other. The proximity made Gokudera edgy, but he willed his body to stay still. 

Tsuna glanced at Gokudera before looking down. “Um, about before… I-I’m sorry! I mean, I didn’t want you to do something you weren’t comfortable with and I don’t know if I made that clear! I… I’m really sorry to have asked you to do that, Gokudera-kun!” he apologized, bowing his head low. 

Gokudera didn’t know how to respond. He felt confused. “Y-you don’t have to apologize, Tenth!” Gokudera shook his head rapidly. “I mean, I’m the one who should apologize!” he insisted. After all, he was the one who had gotten out of hand about it all. The Tenth… he was ill, and upset, and Gokudera had known that… and he had still taken advantage of the situation. Gokudera’s hands gripped tightly at his knees, his fingers digging into the cloth of his pants. “Please forgive me…” 

Tsuna frowned at this reaction. “Gokudera-kun… It’s okay,” he said with a small frown. “We didn’t go that far anyway.”  Tsuna muttered, trying to shrug the whole thing off, though his heart was fluttering erratically just at the reminder. 

Gokudera’s cheeks flushed at these words. The thought of that having gone farther than it had… He couldn’t even imagine such a thing happening. No matter how much he might want it. 

Tsuna chewed on his lip for a moment. The tension hadn’t budged. Talking to Gokudera about this seemed to be as hard for his right-hand man as it was for him. Maybe this hadn’t been a good idea at all. “It’s okay,” he said again, quickly glancing around for a distraction before his gaze landed on the used plates. “Um, I’m going to go clean this up,” he said, and gathered the plates in his arms to take to the kitchen. 

Gokudera didn’t move from his spot and merely watched him go. If this was any other day, he might have protested and offered to do it himself, but considering everything… Gokudera felt anxious at the mere thought of being in the same room with his boss. _At least that idiot is staying over as well…_  

But while that thought brought him relief, he was still worried about Yamamoto finding out about what had happened. With the way things were going, Yamamoto was definitely going to notice something was off. _Dammit,_ _I can’t continue to act like this…_ Gokudera thought, feeling frustrated with himself. _What am I doing, sitting here like an idiot, making the Tenth do my housework?_ Gokudera stood up then, looking more determined than before. 

“Tenth!” He burst into the kitchen and pushed his sleeves back as he approached the other. “Let me do it!” 

_No!_ Tsuna thought on reaction, looking over at the boisterous Gokudera. Of course he hadn’t taken the hint that he had wanted a few moments alone. Then again, this was Gokudera. How could Tsuna expect anything different? “No, it’s okay! I got it!” he said quickly, moving closer to the sink and showing Gokudera the already wet plates. 

“But you don’t have to!” 

“But I want to help! Please let me?” Tsuna asked with a small, hesitant smile. 

Gokudera halted mid-step. “Well… I guess if the Tenth is okay with it.” His resolve wilted a bit and his shoulders slumped slightly. Feeling a bit awkward now that his goal had been thwarted, Gokudera’s gaze shifted around the room looking for something to do. That’s when he noticed the pot full of ramen he’d left there earlier. He inwardly groaned for forgetting to put that away, and grabbed a container to put the noodles in. 

While Gokudera hadn’t left, he was now doing his own task, which left Tsuna to wash the plates in peace. Relief loosened his shoulders as he focused on the job, making sure to clean them well. Gokudera didn’t look like the kind of person to do much housework, but the apartment was clean and well kept. Perhaps Gokudera was more responsible than he’d thought. 

After rinsing off the plates and setting them to dry, Tsuna looked over to Gokudera, once again unsure of what to do with himself. But he felt a bit calmer with the whole situation, especially since Yamamoto was due to return. 

Gokudera looked equally at a loss of what to do now that they were both done. But he was determined to not to let things get awkward between them again. “Um… So is there anything you would like to do now, Tenth?” Gokudera asked him after a few more seconds of silence. This was actually the first time Gokudera had anyone over at his house, so he was unsure of how this kind of thing usually went… Not to mention, it was _the Tenth_ that was visiting his house. 

“Um…” Tsuna shrugged slightly, trying to think of something quickly, since Gokudera had turned to him. Gokudera didn’t look like he had any video games, so… “Do you want to just watch TV?” 

Gokudera didn’t even skip a beat. “Sure!” he replied, glad his boss had thought of something. He had been a total loss. Gokudera didn’t usually get much of a chance to laze around; between tailing the Tenth, school, being dragged around by Yamamoto and company, as well as his part-time job, he barely had any time to be home. 

Tsuna felt the relief hit him again. He walked out of the kitchen and towards the couch. “Do you watch a lot of TV, Gokudera-kun?” he asked curiously, smiling softly. 

“Not really,” Gokudera said as he moved to hand over the remote to his boss. He took a seat on the couch then, making sure to leave a wide gap between them. 

Tsuna blinked when he was handed the remote. “You don’t have anything you want to watch?” he asked. 

“Nah, it’s fine, Tenth,” Gokudera assured him. “I’m not home all that often, so I usually just watch whatever’s on,” he told him candidly. 

“Oh.” Tsuna leaned back on the couch and flipped through the channels, looking for something interesting to watch. “What do you do besides school that keeps you so busy?” he asked, curious. 

“I’m with the Tenth, of course!” Gokudera replied enthusiastically, and without the least bit of shame. 

Tsuna faltered and let out a nervous sort of laugh. “Ah, I see… Is there anything else you do?” _I hope Gokudera isn’t stalking my house at night…!_  

Gokudera scratched his cheek in embarrassment. “Well…” he trailed off for a bit. 

_Oh god, he is, isn’t he?!_ Tsuna thought in a panic. 

“I have this part-time job as a waiter…” 

Tsuna blinked, looking at Gokudera. “A waiter?” he repeated, looking Gokudera up and down and wondering how he’d look in a waiter’s outfit. “Oh, wow. You have a job and everything! Gokudera-kun is so responsible.” He smiled softly. 

Gokudera blushed at the compliment. “It’s nothing, Tenth! And anyway, it’s just a part-time job. My real job is protecting the Tenth at all costs!” he assured him. 

Tsuna resisted the urge to smack his forehead. Though it was flattering, Gokudera was just too much sometimes. “So,” he cut in, quickly trying to divert the subject from himself. “Where do you work?” 

Well, considering his schedule, Gokudera couldn’t work at a regular restaurant. He’d tried that once. It didn’t work out. “It’s just this night club,” he told him. “I work there on the evenings during the weekdays. I originally worked at a restaurant but…” Gokudera winced, remembering the bill he had to pay for the many plates he had accidentally broken. “This just seems to suit me better.” He smiled sheepishly. 

Tsuna blinked. “And… they let you work there?” His eyes widened. They were only fifteen… “Well, I guess because Gokudera-kun looks older than he is, they let you, right?” 

Gokudera nodded. “The job isn’t bad!” He assured him. “It’s better than most, and the pay is good too. It definitely helps pay the bills.” _Not to mention my cigarettes_. 

Tsuna smiled. “I’m glad you found a job that’s good for you, Gokudera-kun,” he said, before scratching the back of his head embarrassedly. “I don’t think I’d be good at any job, really.” 

“That isn’t true!” Gokudera protested immediately. “The Tenth is good at many things! There isn’t anyone who wouldn’t hire you!” he told him earnestly, before adding with an almost proud grin, “and anyway, the Tenth doesn’t need any other job than being the Tenth!” he said confidently. 

Tsuna’s smile turned slightly bitter at that. He didn’t want to be “Tenth.” He didn’t want to be a Mafia boss, but it seemed inevitable. No matter what he did, the more he resisted, the more it pulled him in. 

Still, after a second, Tsuna managed to give Gokudera a slight smile. “Thanks, Gokudera-kun. At least I’m good at something.” 

The two continued to talk a bit more, but ultimately they turned their attention back to the TV. Though there was not really much to watch, they ended up settling on an anime. It looked interesting but neither Gokudera nor Tsuna could get very into it. Both were trying to appear as normal, but they were both equally as conflicted over what had happened earlier. 

Time seemed to pass slowly as they waited for Yamamoto to arrive. But when he finally did, they both felt somewhat relieved. 

“Took you long enough!” Gokudera grumbled as he opened the door, though inwardly he couldn’t help but to feel a little more at ease.

Yamamoto grinned slightly. “Haha! Sorry! I didn’t know there was a time limit. I had to help my old man with something really quick before I left,” he explained as he walked in. 

Tsuna looked up and smiled slightly. “Gokudera-kun, why don’t we help Yamamoto with his homework before it gets too late?” he suggested as he turned off the TV and made his way over to the table. 

Yamamoto smiled. “That’d be great. Thanks, Tsuna.” 

Gokudera scrunched up his nose in distaste. “I guess,” he grumbled, before moving to plop down in one of the chairs and waiting for Yamamoto to join them. “What don’t you get then?” he asked him then, leaning his head on his hand with his elbow propped up against the table. 

Yamamoto sat down and showed Gokudera the blank question sheet. “Everything.” He laughed. 

Tsuna couldn’t help but to laugh as well, but then, along with Gokudera, they were able to help Yamamoto with the work. Once they finished, Tsuna yawned. “It’s this late already? We have school tomorrow…” He sighed, rubbing one of his eyes slightly as he yawned. “We should be getting to bed,” he suggested with a sheepish grin. 

Yamamoto smiled and nodded in agreement, putting away his now-completed homework. “Yup. Thanks for your help, guys!” 

Gokudera stretched, his back popping loudly as he did so. “You’re on the floor,” he reminded Yamamoto as he stood up. 

“I know, I know.” Yamamoto smiled. 

Gokudera headed over to his room to grab his sleeping clothes. He changed into of them quickly, before grabbing a book from his room and heading back to the living room, where he settled down on the couch. 

Tsuna took his pajamas to the bathroom and changed. Once he finished, Yamamoto did the same. While Yamamoto was changing, Tsuna walked over to Gokudera. “Gokudera-kun, where am I sleeping?” he asked. 

“In my room, of course!” Gokudera answered, his eyebrows furrowing at the question. He was baffled that the Tenth would think otherwise. 

“Huh?” Tsuna blushed slightly, glancing back towards the bedroom. He suddenly felt quite self-conscious. "Are you sure? I don’t want to kick you off your bed.” 

“It’s fine, Tenth! Really!” Gokudera tried to reassure him, before remembering why the Tenth might have reservations about accepting the offer. Gokudera blushed slightly as well and looked down at his lap. “It wouldn’t right for me to take the bed,” he insisted, and shook his head. “Please don’t trouble yourself, Tenth!” 

Tsuna looked at him, and sighed slightly. “Then where are you sleeping? On the couch?” he asked softly, almost disapprovingly. 

Yamamoto walked out of the bathroom then, all changed as he approached the two. He was only able to catch the last part of their conversation. 

Gokudera, not noticing the Tenth’s tone, nodded firmly. “I’ll feel better keeping an eye on this one,” he joked, referring to the approaching Yamamoto. He leaned back from his position on the couch then, and picked up his book. “Please take it, Tenth,” he insisted again, smiling reassuringly. 

Tsuna sighed, but nodded in acquiescence. “Well, thank you, Gokudera-kun,” he said. 

“It’s no problem! Well, good night, Tenth!" 

“Good night, guys,” Tsuna said, addressing the both of them, before turning to head over to Gokudera’s room. 

“Night, Tsuna!” Yamamoto called out after him as he laid the pillow and blanket he brought for himself down on the floor next to the couch. He dropped down to the floor along with them before smiling up at Gokudera, turning to address him. “That’s nice, giving Tsuna the bed.” 

Gokudera scowled at him. “It’s only right,” he groused, opening his book to where he had last left off. “After all, he is my guest.” _As well as the boss_ , was left unsaid. 

“Well, I’m your guest too.” Yamamoto laughed slightly. “But I don’t mind sleeping here. I use a futon at home anyway.” He then pulled himself up and leaned over, looking at Gokudera’s book. “What are you reading?” he asked. 

Gokudera grumbled to himself about idiots who wouldn’t let him read in peace, before asking, “Are you blind?” He pointed to the title, which read: _Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia_ , in Italian. Gokudera had briefly forgotten that, living in Japan, Yamamoto would naturally have no knowledge of his native language. 

Yamamoto looked at the title but, of course, could make no sense of it. “That’s not English…” He tilted his head, trying to understand the words, before remembering where Gokudera was from. “Is that Italian, Gokudera? What does it say?” He looked genuinely interested. 

Gokudera blinked, remembering that Yamamoto didn’t know Italian. He sat up from his position on the couch and pointed at the title once more, saying it in Italian, and then translating it to Japanese. “I got it from Shamal the other day. It seemed interesting,” he told him, feeling a little more relaxed. 

Yamamoto listened to him and laughed slightly. “Gokudera is really interested in the mafia, I see,” he commented with a wide grin. He moved up to the couch as well and looked over Gokudera’s shoulder. “Does it have any pictures? I can’t read Italian so I won’t be able to read the book.” He laughed slightly. 

“No, it doesn’t.” Gokudera rolled his eyes at the question and edged away slightly as he leafed through the book once. “Anyway, it probably wouldn’t interest you even if you could read it.” He smirked, looking amused. Gokudera wondered if Yamamoto ever even bothered to open a book with his ever-busy baseball schedule. If he did, then Yamamoto wouldn’t have the grades he usually had. 

Yamamoto laughed. “You’re right. The only books I really read are about sports!” he said with a grin. “Anyway, just remember not to stay up too late, Gokudera,” he said, ruffling the other’s hair before he moved back down off the couch. 

Gokudera glared at the retreating hand, fixing his messed up hair before settling down once more. He went back to the page he was reading, and not before long, he was dead to the world, mouth half-open and limp fingers barely holding on to his tome. He breathed softly, shuffling lightly until the book fell out of his grip and down, landing on Yamamoto. 

Yamamoto was half-awake, just listening quietly. It wasn’t until the book fell on him that he woke up and turned around. He set the book aside and looked up to where Gokudera was sleeping, smiling gently, before sitting up as silent as he could be. Yamamoto looked at Gokudera for a few minutes then before climbing onto the sofa and gently laying Gokudera down. He thought he would leave it at that… but he couldn’t take his hands off him. Yamamoto’s hand reached over to move a strand of hair out of Gokudera’s face, his fingers softly caressing his cheek. A familiar feeling of longing began to well up inside Yamamoto’s chest as he stared down at his friend. 

_Gokudera…_ Yamamoto sighed slightly and closed his eyes as he felt overwhelmed with a feeling of frustration. 

He glanced towards the bedroom door then, half to make sure Tsuna was still asleep and half as a silent apology, before he leaned forward to press his lips softly against Gokudera’s cheek. "I love you too, you know…" Yamamoto whispered near Gokudera's ear. He leaned back and stared at Gokudera for a moment longer before turning to lay back down, pulling the blankets tightly around him as he gave the Italian teen his back. 

 

* * *

 

Gokudera dreamt. 

He dreamt of his boss’ kind eyes; the breathless way he smiled at him; the slight flush on his cheeks as he murmured Gokudera’s name. 

He dreamt of doing homework together and walking home from school—of nights sitting on his couch, curled up across the TV with a warm drink in his hands and the slight weight of his boss’ body leaning against him. 

It wasn’t the first time he’d dreamt of his boss, actually; but this time, it felt more real than ever. He could hear his boss’ voice echoing quietly in his mind, _“Gokudera-kun, would you please_ … _kiss me?”_

Gokudera’s heart pounded then. He stared down into his boss’ eyes for a moment, before letting them slip shut as he leaned in to kiss him. But moments before he was about to, he froze. He heard a familiar voice call out to him then, sounding so sad and so forlorn. 

_“I love you too, you know…”_  

Gokudera woke up with a start. 

He sat up abruptly from the couch, his book falling to the floor once more and hitting Yamamoto on the way down. His eyes were wide and his expression bewildered. Gokudera didn’t exactly remember what exactly he had been dreaming about, but his chest hurt. 

_What….?_ Gokudera’s brows furrowed for a moment, and he felt an anxious feeling coil in his stomach as he tried to remember what he had been dreaming about. _That voice… it was so familiar…_ Gokudera bit his lip before glancing down at the floor. When he saw the baseball freak’s stupid sleeping face, he realized it had been his voice that he had heard. 

_But that doesn’t make any sense! Why am I even dreaming about that idiot?_  

Gokudera felt a surge of anger and confusion within him, which then turned into guilt. 

Yamamoto awoke with a bit of a groan as the book landed on him. He yawned, stretching slightly and moved to brush the book out of his face. He smiled a bit at the sight of it and he turned to look up at Gokudera. “Is this how you usually wake people up… Gokudera?” Yamamoto looked at him, his smile changing into a concerned look. “Are you alright? You look a little pale.” 

Gokudera glared at Yamamoto, not being able to control his temper in this kind of situation. “It’s nothing!” he snapped. “Leave it,” he growled, and brusquely got off the couch to head to his room. He walked away without another word. 

“Gokudera…” Yamamoto frowned as he watched him walk away. He stayed silent for a moment, before sighing and picking up his things. 

Gokudera stormed over to his closet, but by the time he grabbed his uniform, he was already beginning to feel guilty about having snapped at Yamamoto like that. Gokudera couldn’t help it though… He was confused. Why had he dreamed about something like that? Especially after… 

Gokudera’s eyes trailed over to his bed, where his boss was sleeping. The brunette looked completely at ease. Gokudera’s chest ached a little at the sight. That peaceful expression… It was something that Gokudera longed to protect with all of his might. The Tenth’s happiness was Gokudera’s most important wish. Someone might think this was strange but… Gokudera had known for a while now that his feelings for his boss had developed past the devotion that a right-hand man should have… 

What he hadn’t thought was that his boss might feel something similar. 

Did he? 

Gokudera wasn’t so sure anymore. Yesterday had been so confusing, especially because of the thing with the Dying Will. The whole thing made Gokudera’s head hurt a little. 

This dream didn’t make things any easier. 

Gokudera really didn’t understand what that had been about, but he felt the same unease he’d been feeling around Yamamoto for a while now resurface more strongly than ever. 

_I really don’t want to deal with any of this._ Gokudera bit his lip in frustration and shook his head as if the motion would shove his thoughts away. It was way too early in the morning to be thinking about stuff like this. Determined not to think about this, Gokudera headed off to the bathroom with his uniform in hand. 

Yamamoto was pulling on his shirt and blinked over the rumpled fabric when he saw Gokudera come in. “Oh, oops. Forgot to lock the door. Sorry!” he said cheerfully, quickly pulling the shirt down again. “Hey, Gokudera, you okay?” He tilted his head and took a step closer to him. “You look pretty angry. Did you sleep okay?” Yamamoto flashed the silver-haired teen a smile. 

Gokudera’s fist tightened over his uniform and he took a step back. His shoulder’s hunched as he shot the other one a quick glare. “Why do you care?” he snapped defensively. _This is your fault…_ Gokudera looked off to the side. “It’s none of your business, you stupid baseball idiot.” 

Yamamoto’s smile didn’t fade as he was used to the biting comments from Gokudera. They’d never change. “Alright, alright.” He placed a hand on Gokudera’s shoulder, patting it soothingly and letting his fingers linger a bit longer than necessary. “You're my friend, you know. I care about you a lot.” 

_Stop it._ Gokudera slapped Yamamoto’s hand away. “What are you saying? Stop kidding around!” _You’re just like everyone else._ “How many times do I have to tell you to stop getting so close to me?” 

Yamamoto lifted his hand off and sighed. He still managed a small smile. “You should be a bit more polite, you know. Tsuna wouldn’t want to see you treating others like this. And besides, he isn’t the only one that cares about you.” 

“Stop saying that!” _I love you too, you know…_ Gokudera closed his eyes tightly and willed those haunting words away. _I didn’t want to deal with this!_  

“Geez, why can’t you just leave me alone?! I don’t want to hear that type of thing from you, of all people!” Gokudera glared fiercely at the other for a brief second before turning on his heel and storming off. He couldn’t handle this anymore. He didn’t want to and he wasn’t going to. 

And so, Gokudera ended up leaving his apartment in a mood, without any thought of where he was going. He walked and walked, not exactly sure where his feet were leading him. It was only when he finally stopped that noticed he was still gripping his uniform in his hand. Gokudera sighed, and let it drop to the floor before following suit. He leaned his head back against the wall and after a few moments reached for a cigarette, lighted it up, and took a shaky breath of smoke. 

“Dammit,” he murmured. “I lost my temper again.” _Stupid baseball freak._ Gokudera closed his eyes tiredly. What a shitty morning. 

_I left the Tenth behind too… I’m the worst._ Gokudera frowned and felt his mood sink even lower.

He continued on that trail of thought for a while, and became so consumed in his thoughts that it wasn’t until a familiarly loud voice began to yell that he noticed where exactly he had ended up. 

“DIE, REBORN!” Lambo’s obnoxious voice cried out from inside the house and was soon followed by a loud explosion. The five-year-old proceeded to fly across the street, past the house’s gate, and into the neighbor’s wall, the impact leaving a cow-shaped imprint. There was a beat of silence, and then… 

“Gotta… Stay… Calm…!” Lambo whimpered as tears threatened to burst from the corner of his eyes. He didn’t hold out for too long. “WHAAAAHAAHAAAH!!” Lambo wailed loudly and pulled out the Ten Year Bazooka from his afro before jumping into it. A puff of pink smoke later revealed Adult Lambo holding a bowl of rice and chopsticks in his hands. 

All in all, it was a typical morning in the Sawada household. 

“Yare, yare. And I was just eating breakfast…” The fifteen-year-old Lambo sighed quietly. It took him a moment to spot Gokudera. “Oh, good morning, Gokudera-shi.” He greeted his fellow Guardian with a nod before continuing to eat his rice calmly. 

Gokudera was surprised to see the other. He still couldn’t believe he had ended up at the Tenth’s house. “Um, morning…” he replied somewhat absently. 

Lambo looked at Gokudera and raised a brow at this reaction. “You look a little down,” he commented and walked over to sit next to Gokudera. He really only did this because, this way, he would be out of sight from the house in case Bianchi happened to look out the window… 

_What’s with people being so concerned about me all of the sudden?_ Gokudera frowned, looking away from the other as he shrugged. “It’s nothing,” he muttered, and took another drag from his cigarette. 

“Hmm, you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Adult Lambo asked. “It’s not good if you keep something bad cooped up,” he told the other as if he was speaking from experience. 

Gokudera looked a little annoyed. _I can’t believe the stupid cow, of all people, is lecturing me._ He snorted. “What would an idiot cow like you know?” he sneered—but that’s when his own words hit him. 

This guy’s from the future. He _would_ know. 

Gokudera gaped at Lambo for a moment. 

Lambo, on the other hand, looked annoyed. “I know a lot of stuff! Geez! Making fun of me even when we’re the same age!” 

Gokudera stared at him for another moment, and then he couldn’t help but to blurt out, “Hey, can I ask you something?” 

“Huh?” 

Gokudera hesitated slightly, wondering if he really wanted to know. “What…What kind of relationship do I have with the Tenth in the future?” He couldn’t believe he had actually asked that. A slight flush began to spread across Gokudera’s face. 

Lambo looked a little uncomfortable at the question. “I… don’t know if I should answer that question. I’m not supposed to…” 

Gokudera narrowed his eyes slightly and reached for one of his dynamites. 

“Hah? Did you say something?” 

“N-no!” 

“That’s what I thought. So? Answer the question, you stupid cow. And while you’re at it, there are some other things I want to know. For example, do I still faint when I see my sister’s face?” Gokudera demanded to know. His gaze on the other was completely attentive. “Also, I’m the Tenth’s right-hand man, aren’t I?” This sounded less like a question and more like a threat. 

Lambo let out a nervous chuckle. “I… guess there should be no harm in telling you that… Um, yeah, you are the Young Vongola’s right-hand man. And, unfortunately, you do still get stomach aches around your sister. It’s not as bad as it was, though… She’s stopped throwing her Poison Cooking into my face at least.” Lambo shuddered at the thought before continuing. “As for your relationship, you and Yamamoto both—” POOF! A big pink cloud of smoke announced the return of five-year-old Lambo, who was now lying on the floor sleeping with food covering his face. Apparently he had eaten his older self’s breakfast. 

_Me and Yamamoto? Me and Yamamoto, what?!_ Gokudera closed his eyes and counted to ten, trying to control his temper. “Dammit!” He growled and seethed as he glared down at the sleeping body of the five-year-old Lightning Guardian. “Tch.” He stood up from the floor and picked up the stupid kid, along with his uniform, before heading inside the Tenth’s house to drop off the little dumbass and possibly borrow their bathroom. 

“Excuse me!” he called out into the house, before remembering that the Tenth’s Mother was out of town. He shrugged and dropped the kid on the floor, figuring no one would mind if he used their bathroom to dress up. Now that he remembered, he left all his school crap at his apartment… _I should just skip school,_ Gokudera thought, scrunching up his nose in distaste as he stared down at the uniform in his hand. _But I can’t leave the Tenth alone… What if something happened to him while I‘m not there?_ Gokudera bit his lip and decided then that he had to go. He cleaned up as best as he could and headed out of the bathroom… and upon hearing his sister’s approaching voice, he made a run for the door. 

“Ah! Gokudera-kun!” Tsuna called out from a bit down the road as he saw Gokudera run out of his house. He jogged over, holding Gokudera’s bag as well as his own. Yamamoto followed him close behind. “Gokudera-kun. You left your bag at home!” Tsuna said, frowning worriedly as he held out his bag once they caught up. 

Gokudera looked up as he heard his name being called. He was surprised to see the two of them, but the surprise melted into a grateful smile as he took his bag from the Tenth’s hands. “Ah, thank you very much, Tenth!” He felt a little relieved to see his boss safe and sound, though he couldn’t help but to avoid Yamamoto’s gaze. He couldn’t face him right now, not after everything. 

Tsuna smiled slightly. “We locked the door, but it took us a while to find the keys,” he informed him as Yamamoto laughed. 

“Yeah, we put them in your bag and even tidied up your apartment a bit.” He grinned, acting as if nothing had happened before. 

Gokudera looked down at the ground. “I see. Sorry for making you go through all the trouble, Tenth,” he apologized and tried his best to act as usual as well. He felt uncomfortable though. He hoped it wasn’t too noticeable. 

“It was nothing, Gokudera-kun. Anyway, let’s head to school. Hopefully we get there on time today…” Tsuna sighed exasperatedly. 

Gokudera nodded but stayed silent. He began to get lost in his thoughts again. _What did that stupid cow mean?_ Gokudera couldn’t help but to think about that as well… at least, until he remembered the other thing Adult Lambo had said. _I’m his right-hand man!_ Gokudera’s eyes widened at the realization. Of course, he knew he would end up achieving his goal, but hearing the confirmation only made him want to rejoice. Just knowing this ended up bringing up his mood. 

But it was about to go down in a second, because Tsuna then took this moment to ask: 

“Ah! Yamamoto, don’t you have a baseball game today?” Tsuna looked at him for confirmation. 

Yamamoto smiled and nodded. “Yeah! Today after school. It’s actually the last game of the season. We had a day off from practice yesterday to rest up. If we win this game, we win the playoffs and might even get in the Namimori newspapers!” He smiled happily. 

Tsuna smiled as well. “Wow! Hey, Gokudera-kun! Let’s stay after school and watch Yamamoto’s game!” 

Gokudera’s eyes widened slightly, and he had to bite his tongue to stop his initial answer. “S-sure, Tenth! That sounds like fun.” He gave the Tenth a strained smile, not able to refuse him. But what he was really thinking and wanted to say was: _why do we have to waste our time watching that moron’s game?_ Gokudera frowned slightly once the Tenth’s gaze turned away. _At least I’ll be able to keep an eye on the Tenth,_ he thought to himself, trying to be optimistic about it. 

Yamamoto smiled happily. “Now I know I’ll be at my prime with my two best friends cheering me on!” He pumped his fist in the air. 

Tsuna laughed. 

Gokudera’s frown only got worse. _Idiot._  

Though Gokudera did not join the conversation, Yamamoto and Tsuna continued to talk the whole way to school. Once they got to the entrance, however, Tsuna’s words were caught in his throat. He felt a cold metal press against his neck. 

“HIIIII!” The brunette jumped away from the tonfa and looked wide-eyed at the person holding it. It was Hibari. 

“You. Where is your brother?” the Namimori prefect demanded, looking as serious as always. 

Tsuna blinked. “B-brother? What are you talking about!? I’m an only child!” 

“Let me handle him, Tenth!” Gokudera pushed his boss back protectively and glared at the dark-haired prefect. His dynamites were already out and ready to be fired. If Hibari so much as breathed in the Tenth’s direction… 

“Ah, Gokudera-kun, don’t…” Tsuna began to protest but the eminent fight between the two of them was suddenly halted by the cheerful voice of the blonde-haired whip-wilder. “Morning, everyone!” Dino called out to them with a bright smile as he put his arm around the prefect’s shoulders. “Now, Kyouya, why are you threatening my cute little brother and his friends? That’s not nice!” he scolded him, his tone light. 

_Does this guy have a death wish?_ Gokudera thought in shock as he watched the blonde drape himself over Hibari. 

Hibari looked at Dino as he was leaned on and scolded. He glared at him slightly but didn’t move to hit him yet. Instead, he glanced behind the blonde to make sure the blonde’s subordinates were around. Sure enough, Romario was on his phone a few feet away. 

_Good._ “I was looking for you. I’m bored,” Hibari said, before tightening his grip on his tonfa and moving to strike Dino’s face with them. He knew the blonde would dodge it though… He always did. 

And so he did. Dino dodged back to avoid the blow and took out his whip. He then flicked his wrist and grabbed hold of Kyouya’s tonfa, restraining them from moving momentarily. He knew Kyouya would be able to get out of that restraint soon, which was why he taunted him. “Not in front of the kids, honey,” he joked, ready to jump away as soon as Kyouya freed himself. 

Tsuna gaped at how casually Dino was talking to with the prefect. Sure, Dino had trained him, but still… Hibari-san was dangerous. 

Hibari narrowed his eyes. “I’ll bite you to death this time,” he said, before he kicked up his foot, purposefully wrapping the whip around his ankle and pulling it down forcefully, trying to either make Dino let go of the whip or stumble forward. Either one would work. 

Dino tugged at his whip hard, though he knew it was a lost battle. He dropped it, knowing Romario would pass it to him whenever he could. Now unarmed, Dino jumped away from the reach of his student’s tonfa and stuck his tongue out at the other. He made his way across the top of the school’s roof in just a few jumps. “Come on, Kyouya!” 

Hibari quickly freed his tonfa and shook the whip off his ankle. But before Romario could grab it, Hibari did. He wrapped it in a circle and followed Dino to the top of the school before throwing the whip at him. “It’s no fun when you’re defenseless,” he said, going into a fighting stance, before running at him and rushing with his too-quick-to-see strikes. 

Dino grinned at his student’s crazy logic. He really was a battle-maniac. Dino grabbed his whip in midair and immediately began lashing out at the other. He made contact against the other’s cheek, actually drawing out a thin line of blood, but he retreated as he was almost cornered and quickly moved out of the way. 

Meanwhile, as the battle continued upstairs, the late bell rang again. Gokudera cursed. “Late again!” He groaned and he grabbed onto the Tenth before pulling him towards the school. “Aoyama’s going to give us extra work again,” he complained as they ran towards the classroom. Not that he really cared but it was a waste of time and he hated doing homework. 

Tsuna’s eyes widened and he groaned as well. “Aw! But today’s Saturday!” he groused. 

“Let’s hope he’s late as well, haha!” Yamamoto said as he ran behind them as well.

 


	5. Target 04: Flip The Coin

The three arrived to the classroom late, but luckily their teacher wasn’t around. 

Tsuna sighed with relief and quickly made his way over to his desk. 

Gokudera moved to follow suit, plopping down at his desk in relief. He was happy not to have been assigned any extra work. 

Yamamoto was happy as well. It wouldn’t do him any good to have extra homework on the day of his big game. He sat down in his usual seat behind Gokudera and got his notebook and pencil out. 

As they waited for the teacher to arrive, Gokudera drummed his fingers in boredom, slouching over his desk. He gazed out of the window and stared at the cloudless sky. If he strained his ears, he could faintly make out the sounds of the struggle happening up on the roof. 

Yamamoto looked at Gokudera for a moment, before he leaned forward and blew at the other’s ear. “Hey, Gokudera. Do you mind checking over my Lit homework?” he asked, showing him the handout. This wasn’t one of the assignments he had brought to Gokudera’s house the day before. Naturally, nearly everything was wrong. 

Gokudera jolted in surprise and nearly fell out of his chair. “Idiot!” he hissed at Yamamoto. “What the hell are you doing?” He rubbed at his ear and glared at the other, but he still felt a little bit guilty about what had happened this morning, so he ended up giving a small glance at Yamamoto’s paper. Not a second later, he let out an irritated and exasperated growl, and turned his chair around. He began to berate the baseball fanatic, as well as tell him what he did wrong. “Did you even bother to read the assignment?” 

Yamamoto laughed slightly. “I was in sort of a rush, so I pretty much guessed everything!” he said, scratching the back of his head. 

“How the hell do you even pass your classes?” Gokudera wondered what this idiot would do without him. “I thought only students with a certain grade-average were allowed to join in sport teams.” 

Yamamoto merely laughed. “Well, I usually stay in that average, but lately I’ve been really busy with practice so I really haven’t been paying attention to my work.” 

“Idiot.” Gokudera rolled his eyes, before handing back the corrected paper back to Yamamoto. It was just in time too, because the teacher burst in through the door not a second later, looking flustered. 

“Sorry for being late! Let’s begin class now.”

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, back on the roof, Hibari stopped in his tracks and winced slightly. His hair covered his eyes as he lifted his hand, touching the blood that was dripping from his cheek. A wide smirk began to spread across his lips. “Fighting with you is much more fun than anyone else,” he commented. His eyes glowed with bloodthirsty excitement as he continued to rush at Dino. In Hibari’s own way, he had complimented his blonde teacher. 

“You read my mind, Kyou-chan.” Dino smirked, satisfied at hearing his student’s words. “But now, it’s about time I teach you a new trick!” Dino flicked his wrist hard, and this time, the motion caused his whip to wrap around the prefect’s wrists tightly, bounding them together. “Do you give up?” he asked cheekily as he leaned closer to the disciplinarian. 

Hibari narrowed his eyes as his wrists were bound. He looked at Dino for a moment before he spoke. “Don’t call me Kyou-chan. Kyouya is better,” he said, before he dropped down and swung out his foot to kick Dino’s legs out from under him. 

Dino would later say that Kyouya’s statement had completely taken him off-guard and had distracted him from noticing the incoming kick. Dino fell in a completely clumsy hold, pulling his whip down with him and ‘oof’ing as he felt Kyouya land on top of him. “Ouch…” he complained, having hit his head on the floor and gotten his air knocked out by his student’s heavy body. 

Hibari landed on top of Dino with a small grunt before quickly gathering himself. He put his legs on either side of Dino’s waist, and his hands on the blonde’s stomach, easily holding him down even though his wrists were tied. “You should fight seriously,” he said, looking down at his teacher. 

“If I fought seriously, I would injure my cute student’s body,” Dino teased. The hand that wasn’t holding on tightly to his whip was gripping Kyouya’s hips in place. 

Hibari leaned down, his elbows and hands now resting on Dino’s chest. “You already injured me. It doesn’t matter. And besides… you know I don’t like it when you tie me up like this,” he said, their faces inches away. 

“This is the only way to keep you docile,” Dino pointed out, tugging his whip tightly. He licked his lips at the sight of the growing red marks that were beginning to form on Kyouya’s wrists. His gaze then turned up to stare at the wound he had made on the prefect’s cheek. Dino leaned in to lick at wound, savoring the blood. 

Hibari closed the eye on the side of Dino’s lick before he looked down at the blond. “Don’t dirty my uniform…” he muttered in warning before leaning forward to kiss Dino roughly. He didn’t care about the pain of the whip biting into his wrists, although he’d probably have to wear his jacket later to hide the marks instead of just having it on his shoulders like usual. Hibari didn’t like wearing his jacket. It was too bulky. He only kept it around because it was part of the school uniform. 

Dino returned the kiss with gusto, bucking his hips up slightly against Kyouya’s own with a groan. _This brat will be the death of me,_ Dino thought as he slid his tongue over the other’s lips. “Mmm, whatever you say, Kyouya,” Dino mumbled into their kiss as he nipped at the other’s lips roughly. His fingers began to wedge themselves under Kyouya’s uniform then, his nails gripping at the smooth skin of his student’s hips. It wasn’t long before Dino was flipping their position over. Wanting to focus his full attention on the prefect, Dino wrapped his whip around a nearby pole and further restrained the use of his lover’s arms. He leaned down to nip at Kyouya’s lips again as he began unbuttoning the other’s shirt. His hands ran over the pale skin as he did so. 

Hibari returned the rough treatment on the other’s lips, biting him extra hard when he noticed the whip being tied to the pole. Hibari never understood why Dino loved to tie him up so much. But he was glad that the roof was clean enough to lie on so his uniform wouldn’t get dirty. As Dino’s hands began to touch his skin, Hibari stayed silent and looked off to the side. It was often a challenge for Dino to get Hibari to respond to his actions or show much emotion to be honest. 

Smiling at Kyouya’s typical behavior, Dino’s calloused thumbs began to rub down the prefect’s stomach, the rough touch tickling the sensitive skin. The blonde’s nails left pleasurable trails of red as they ran down the skin and reached for the prefect’s pants. Dino quickly disrobed his student of those too, before leaning over to nuzzle his neck. He pressed his mouth against it and began leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses down the jutting collarbone that was now naked to the eye. Dino’s tongue met the sensitive flesh of Kyouya’s body, his teeth grazing against at his skin. He alternated the intensity of his nips, hoping it would bring out his lover’s beautiful noises. 

It wasn’t until Dino reached his collarbone that Hibari showed any reactions. He eyes fell shut and his brow softened as his breath hitched in his throat. 

Encouraged by the reaction, Dino’s tongue began to travel lower, down to his chest. The blonde’s mouth took in the pink and hardened nub on Kyouya’s chest and swirled his tongue over the sensitive flesh. He dragged his tongue over it before catching it gently between his teeth. 

Hibari let out a very soft sigh of pleasure. Though he barely made any noise, it was obvious he was affected. Hibari’s back was arching a bit underneath Dino in order to meet the other’s actions. He was becoming more and more aroused as Dino continued. Only Dino could do this to him, no one else. Ever. 

Dino’s body felt hot, his erection stiff and needy. He closed his eyes for a second, trying to hold his need back as he continued to focus on pleasuring his student. As Dino’s mouth moved lower, he dipped into Kyouya’s bellybutton, nipping at the skin there teasingly. His hands squeezed Kyouya’s bare hips, before sliding down to grasp his pale, strong thighs. Dino knew that at any moment his lover could injure him, no matter how restrained he was. But the blonde also knew that Kyouya wouldn’t. Not as Dino’s mouth met the sensitive flesh where his hips met his leg. That spot, so unbearably close to his groin, had always been Kyouya’s weak spot, and it was one that Dino loved to exploit. He was all tongue and teeth as he marred the pale skin there as his and his only. 

“Nngh…” Hibari let out a soft, restrained moan when Dino got to that spot. His hips bucked slightly in response. Despite his silence, Hibari was definitely affected. His body was trembling, though it was almost imperceptible to the eye. You could only see it if you were looking for it. 

Dino didn’t think he could hold back for much longer. His body, too, was shaking with restraint. “What do you want?” Dino gasped out quietly then as he pulled back. The hot breaths that escaped from his lips caressed his lover’s skin in his stead. 

“Don’t ask questions like that…” Hibari muttered, looking to the side as a red tint of arousal crossed his cheeks. 

Dino licked his lips at the sight before him and began riffling through his pants’ pockets, searching for something. He frowned when he didn’t find what he was looking for and sat back for a moment. “Tch,” he muttered with annoyance before calling out to Romario in a quiet tone, knowing he was nearby. Sure enough, the man opened the door to the roof and stepped out. Then, without awaiting his boss’ next command, he flung Dino’s bulky jacket in their direction before returning to his post, his back towards them as he closed the door behind him once more. 

Dino grasped his jacket in midair and began searching its pockets. 

Hibari watched on curiously. He didn’t care that Romario was there. He’s seen the result of sex when Romario wasn’t around… He was even willing to let Romario watch if it meant he could avoid the klutzy Cavallone during sex. 

Dino smiled when he found what he was looking for. “I have a treat for you today,” he told the prefect as his mouth returned to breathe over his student’s prominent erection. He blew gently on it, his lips barely touching the straining member. 

A shiver ran up Hibari’s spine when Dino blew on him. Hibari eyed the blonde at his words and frowned slightly. “What is it?” he asked. 

“Hmmm,” Dino licked his lips as he gazed at Kyouya’s erection hungrily. “It’s a surprise,” he murmured, before leaning forward and wrapping his mouth around the other’s member. Dino sucked him in deep into his mouth, letting the erection weight down on his tongue. Dino slowly began to take him in deeper, before pulling back, his head bobbing slightly as he set up a slow thrusting rhythm. 

Hibari let out a small moan as he closed his eyes, letting the pleasure build up. His chest heaved with every pant that slipped past his lips, and he turned his head to the side as the pleasure built more. 

Finally, Dino licked a long, teasing trail over the length of his student’s erection as he retracted his mouth. “Calm down…” he murmured. “The best part’s yet to come…” Dino nuzzled the slick member, rubbing his cheek against it, before backing away and looking down at his student’s flushed expression. 

Watching Hibari panting underneath him made Dino’s heart pound erratically. Taking heed of his own words, Dino bit his lip as he straddled his student’s stomach. At some point, Dino had discarded his own clothing, and now, as he leaned down once more, he placed his hands on each side of Kyouya’s head and bent down to kiss him slowly, wanting to savor him fully. After a few moments, Dino broke away from the kiss. He nuzzled his partner’s neck once more before whispering, “Surprise…” and thrusting down into Kyouya’s rigid member, his head tilting back as he let out a quiet a hiss at the friction. Dino breathed heavily and stayed still for a moment, before he raised himself once more and, after a second’s hesitation, thrust back down into Kyouya with a muffled groan. 

It appeared that, while distracting Kyouya with a mind-shattering blow job, the blonde had prepared himself for this. 

Though Hibari figured out the surprise the moment the blonde had straddled his stomach, he was still shocked by the sheer pleasure that rushed through him. Hibari’s head hung back in pleasure as he gripped on to the whip still holding his wrists. After a few more thrusts, Hibari bit his lip for a moment before smirking. At that instant, Hibari let go of the whip and allowed it to unravel itself, freeing his now-reddened wrists. He grabbed Dino’s shoulders then, and in a fight for dominance, he pushed Dino to his back and thrust into him instead of allowing the other to ride him. 

For his part, Dino didn’t protest to the treatment. “Haah…” he panted instead. “You naughty student of mine…Can’t even let sensei do you a favor without you taking advantage of it…” Dino’s hips twitched, meeting Kyouya’s thrusts with his own. His hand snatched Kyouya’s wrist then, pulling his hand to wrap around his erection. “Do it right…” he huffed, his chest heaving. “Or… I’ll bite you to death…” Dino threatened him, his tone mocking. 

Hibari smirked slightly and leaned over Dino, grabbing on to the erection as he was told. “Yes, Sensei…” he whispered lewdly into Dino’s ear and continued to thrust into him, his hand now pumping Dino’s member in time. Then, after remembering something, Hibari began shifting his aim as he tried to find Dino’s prostate. 

“Cheeky… brat!” Dino gasped out once his student found it. His eyes closed involuntarily as he let out a loud moan. His body quivered, trembling as it sought its release. 

Once Hibari found his prostate, he continued to slam right into it, now focusing on his own pleasure as well. He was rapidly approaching his release. Hibari panted and let out a few soft moans when it was too much to contain. He was very close, but he was intent on making Dino come first so he slammed into his prostate harder. 

Dino let himself become lost in the sheer intensity of this moment. Heat coiled down hotly in his stomach, and as Kyouya’s hand tightened around his erection, Dino felt himself come undone. His body stilled beneath the other and he let out a choked cry as he felt himself spill all over his student’s hand. “K-Kyouya…” Dino panted harshly as he laid there, his blonde hair splayed out beneath him in disarray. He looked completely debauched. Dino closed his eyes and tried to regain his breath as focused on the receding rush that still lingered underneath his skin. 

Hibari allowed himself release after Dino, coming inside him as Dino often did to him. Hibari panted slightly and took a second before pulling out of him. He moved to lie down next to Dino, and basked in the aftermath, but not for long. After a few moments, Hibari sat up and began gathering up his uniform together. He wasn’t easily tired out, even by sex, and really didn’t like cuddling or anything… 

When Dino felt Kyouya shuffling away from him as usual, he scowled, snatching the boy’s wrist once more and pulling him down. “It’s not as if you’re actually heading to class…” he groused and wrapped his arms around the boy’s torso, holding him prisoner though he knew the other could easily escape his grip. 

Hibari scowled slightly at this and moved out of Dino’s hold. “This isn’t a private place. I’m getting dressed,” Hibari said sternly, before he stood up again and moved to grab his clothes. 

Dino sighed, feeling just a little bit grumpy. It always ended like this unless he tied the kid up properly. _Doesn’t know the meaning of romance,_ Dino grumbled to himself as he, too, stood and began cleaning up and putting his clothes back on. Once they were both done, Dino pulled the prefect towards him again, clinging to him as he trapped the younger boy between his arms. “Stay with me,” he repeated, giving Kyouya a sweet kiss and resting his chin on top of the prefect’s hair. 

Hibari sighed in slight frustration. “In ten minutes, I have to patrol the school,” he said after checking the time. “I’ll stay here until then.” He honestly didn’t know why Dino was so clingy to him after sex. It wasn’t like they were going to do it again… 

Dino nuzzled his student’s cheek, feeling happier at the statement. “Good,” he purred and pulled his student back down to the floor before holding on to him as if he were a teddy bear. He gave him another light kiss, on his cheek this time. _Love you,_ was what he didn’t say, knowing his problem case wouldn’t be able to deal with it yet, much less reciprocate it. For now, Dino was content with the ways things were. 

As Hibari promised, he stayed close to Dino, tilting his head slightly at the kiss before returning it to the normal position. He inspected the marks on his wrists before he looked at Dino. “Have you been practicing or holding out on me?” He frowned slightly. “If you’re holding back, I’ll bite you to death.” 

Dino pressed his lips to the back of Kyouya’s neck. “Practice, practice…” he told him in a nonchalant tone as his hands curled around Kyouya’s wrists. Dino brought up each wrist to inspect the marks he had left behind, before bringing them up to his lips and kissing them apologetically. 

“Hm.” Hibari looked at Dino as if scrutinizing him before looking away again. He leaned back and relaxed against his teacher’s chest as he checked the time again. “Well, practice harder. I was able to escape,” he said bluntly. 

_That’s because you’re a monster!_ Dino thought exasperatedly and pouted outwardly at his student. “Kyouyaaa,” he whined. “You’re hurting your hard-working teacher’s feelings, you know…” 

“Humph.” Hibari smirked slightly at the other’s whine. Then, at that moment, the bell rang, signaling the end of the first class. “I’m only being honest,” he told the other bluntly, before shrugging off Dino’s grip and moving to stand up. “See ya.” He lifted his hand in a simple wave as he began heading for the exit of the roof, knowing Dino would probably stop him. In fact, he was waiting for it as he walked to the door. 

_Crack._  

“I told you before.” Dino’s voice was low as he murmured into his lover’s ear. “I don’t want to injure my cute student’s body.” Dino pulled tight on his whip, which was once again wrapped around Kyouya’s wrists, binding them tightly together. However, this time the grip was much stronger than before, almost cutting through Kyouya’s skin. 

“See ya~” Dino sang quietly as he stole a last kiss. Then, in a flash, he, the whip, and Romario, were gone. 

Hibari winced very lightly at the whip’s grip this time, before smirking. He let the other kiss him, and once the blonde had disappeared, Hibari inspected his wrists, which had reddened further with irritation. “Next time, I won’t fail,” Hibari said with a bloodthirsty smirk as he slipped his arms into the sleeves of his jacket, the cloth hiding his red wrists. As he headed back into the school, many of the students were wary of Hibari that day. For when Hibari smiled, other people usually didn’t.

 

* * *

 

The bell rang, signaling the end of first period. Gokudera stood up and stretched, avoiding Yamamoto as much as possible. The idiot had been unbearable during class, bugging him about not understanding this and that. It was irritating, and though Gokudera tried not to get too annoyed at the other, he still felt uncomfortable being near him. He couldn’t help but to keep remembering the dream he’d had… 

“Arggh…” Gokudera growled, feeling completely exasperated by this. _Why do I keep thinking about this idiot? I hate him!_ He scowled as he stepped out of the classroom and decided to go out to the roof for a smoke. He didn’t care that he would likely be late to his next class. It wasn’t as if he was actually learning anything. 

_Tch. Just when the Tenth and I start to become closer…Why does that baseball freak always have to ruin things!_ Gokudera’s scowl deepened as he continued to walk. Lost in his murderous thoughts as he was, Gokudera didn’t notice until too late that his feet had led him to Shamal’s office instead of his original destination. Gokudera stared at the door before him and hesitated. He couldn’t help but to wonder if Shamal had some cure for whatever the hell was wrong with him. These stupid conflicting feelings had to be some kind of disease. Gokudera’s hand hovered over the door, wondering if the quack would actually help him… 

But before Gokudera could open the door, it opened on its own. “Eh? Hayato, what are you doing here?” Shamal stared at Gokudera, an eyebrow going up. The kid never stopped by his office. In fact, the brat always seemed to do his best to avoid ever coming near it. 

Gokudera startled as the door opened and immediately felt embarrassed at being caught skulking around outside. Why had he come here anyway? Shamal wouldn’t care about his problems—not unless Gokudera suddenly changed genders. The doctor had made it clear yesterday that he wanted nothing to do with him. 

_Not like he ever did anyway_. A sullen look crossed Gokudera’s face at that thought, and it made him answer the doctor in a short, biting tone. “It’s nothing,” he said, before quickly turning around. He began to head onto his original destination, thinking that maybe all he really needed was a calming smoke to clear his head. 

Normally, Shamal would have let Gokudera walk off, but today he remembered something that made him stop him. “Hold on a second, brat,” he said as he walked back into his office to grab the picture he had left on his desk. A moment later, he held out this very picture to Gokudera as his lips tilted up into a small smirk. “Adult Lambo dropped by earlier and asked me to give this to you. He said he was sorry he couldn’t answer all your questions, but that this should give you all the answers you need.” 

Gokudera hated the way he stopped in his tracks at hearing Shamal’s voice. He hated the way he unconsciously always hoped the man would at least act like cared. But at this moment, Gokudera hated nothing more than the way his face slowly reddened and his eyes widened upon seeing this photo before him. 

The picture in Shamal’s hand was one of Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto together. The three looked several years older and were at their high school graduation; this was obvious by the diplomas in their hands. Gokudera was in the center of the picture and was being hugged by Tsuna. But on his other side, Yamamoto was kissing his cheek as he winked at the camera. The happiness and contentment in the three boys’ faces couldn’t be clearer. 

 “W-what the hell?!” Gokudera’s hand shot forward fast to grab a hold of the picture. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Why the hell was that idiot k-k-kissing him?! And why… Why did his future self look so happy about it?! 

This, combined with the thoughts of yesterday’s dream, made Gokudera feel even more confused than before. Perhaps his dreams were trying to tell him about this?  But why? Gokudera hated that idiot… right? And what about the Tenth? Gokudera didn’t understand… 

Oblivious, or perhaps unconcerned of Gokudera’s mental breakdown, Shamal leaned over Gokudera’s shoulder to stare down at the picture. “So, anything you want to tell me, Hayato~?” Shamal teased the boy with a perverted leer on his face and a grin that was all-too-familiar. 

At hearing that, Gokudera suddenly remembered that Shamal was there, _and he was looking at the goddamn picture._ Quicker than he could take out one of his bombs, Gokudera hid away the photo and turned to glare murderously at his former mentor. “Don’t you dare breathe a word of this, you quack!” he hissed defensively. 

Shamal laughed at Gokudera’s reaction. “I’ve had the picture for a while now.” Shamal shot his former student another smirk, teasing him. He then reached over to ruffle Gokudera’s hair. “But anyway, Hayato can do whatever he likes with his sex life.” He grinned and lifted the boy’s chin as he continued, “But mine’s way better,” he assured him with a lecherous grin. Then, with a happy-go-lucky “See ya!” Shamal was off, heading down the hallway at a relaxed pace. 

“That… bastard!” Gokudera bristled angrily, feeling both embarrassed and completely bewildered. What the hell was up with that picture? It had to be some kind of misunderstanding. There’s no way that could possibly happen otherwise! Absolutely none! It’s not like the Tenth and him were really anything that serious… and for that stupid baseball freak to be involved in it too was highly improbable! 

Gokudera tried hard to keep his thoughts off everything that had happened yesterday as he stalked off the hallway. The picture, that stupid dream, even the thing with the Tenth… It was too much. Gokudera refused to accept it. He knew more than anyone that personal relationships were fragile—it was exactly why he preferred distancing himself from everyone else save the Tenth. Why would anyone care about him anyway? He was nobody. He’s always been nobody.

 

* * *

 

“Tsuna-kun!” 

Tsuna turned and looked as the girl of his dreams walked down the hall towards him. “Kyoko-chan!” He smiled happily at the sight of her. 

“Good morning, Tsuna-kun. How are you?” Kyoko smiled. 

“I’m good.” Tsuna smiled in return. She was so cute… “And you?” 

Kyoko nodded happily. “I’m good too! Though, I was wondering if I could come over your house this afternoon. I’m having some trouble with the math work, and Haru-chan said she’d be busy today, so I can’t ask her dad.” 

Kyoko-chan… was asking to go over his house! They’d probably do homework together and then sit in his room and talk when they had nothing else to do. They could spend hours talking and learning about each other. Then, Tsuna could probably walk her home at the end of the day. It was everything he had been wanting! 

So… 

Why didn’t he care? 

Well, of course he cared, but… He didn’t care nearly as much as he did before. Tsuna wondered why his face wasn’t hot as usual. He wondered why his heart wasn’t hammering in his chest. He wondered why his throat wasn’t dry and why his palms weren’t sweaty. 

Tsuna scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile. “Ah, actually, Kyoko-chan, my mom isn’t home. She’s gone on a trip and I’m staying over somewhere else…” 

_T-Tenth…_  

A blush finally overwhelmed Tsuna’s cheeks as he remembered Gokudera’s voice from the previous night. How it sounded and what they had been _doing_. 

His heart was pounding. His throat was dry. Tsuna almost dropped the book in his hands due to his sweaty palms. 

“Oh, I see.” Kyoko looked slightly disappointed, but her smile didn’t falter. “That’s okay. Maybe another day. I could ask Hana to help me!” 

Tsuna smiled slightly and nodded. “Sorry I couldn’t be any help.” 

Kyoko shook her head. “It’s fine. See you later then, Tsuna-kun!” 

“See you…” Tsuna watched Kyoko walk off and took a quick moment to look her over. Well, she was definitely still cute. But… 

Why couldn’t he stop thinking about Gokudera? The way his voice had sounded… The way his touch had felt. Tsuna bit his lip, before taking one last look at Kyoko and hurrying off to his class. 

 

* * *

 

It had been as Gokudera finally resigned himself to head back to class when he spotted them. 

The Tenth was blushing. 

And of course he would be; he was talking to Sasagawa, the school idol, his boss’ crush. 

His boss’ crush. How could Gokudera have forgotten about her? 

Gokudera felt frozen as he stared at this scene. His boss’ blush was getting brighter and his actions more nervous. Sasagawa was laughing as she always did and it was making his boss go weak in the knees. And was it really any surprise? His boss had been in love with the lawnhead’s sister for the longest time ever. Gokudera had known this. 

He had just…forgotten. 

But it’s not like it really mattered, right? What had happened yesterday had been a mistake after all, even if the Tenth had said otherwise. And it’s not like Gokudera thought this kind of thing was going to continue. After all, this was the _Tenth._ His boss could have anyone in the world. Why the hell would he pick someone like Gokudera? 

Gokudera knew this, but for some reason he couldn’t stop shaking. Even though his boss was now long gone, Gokudera couldn’t help but to stare blankly at the space the other had been standing on. _I knew that picture couldn’t be true. Things like this… They’re never true._  

Something inside him was hurting and shattering, and Gokudera didn’t even understand why. He wasn’t sure he wanted to understand. He just wanted the pain to stop. 

After what seemed like forever, Gokudera finally made his way to the roof, seeking refuge. And for rest of the day, Gokudera secluded himself there, feeling empty and confused as he smoked the day away, his throat becoming very irritated in the process. 

His seclusion did not go unnoticed. 

Tsuna sighed slightly. He hadn’t seen Gokudera since the morning and it worried him slightly. The other was always at his side, and now he was nowhere to be found. Yamamoto had even asked him where Gokudera was, and Tsuna felt sorry when he had to say he didn’t know. Tsuna still attended Yamamoto’s game that afternoon, but the two were so worried over Gokudera’s disappearance that they hadn’t been able to focus on the game, and lost. 

_Gokudera-kun, where did you go?_ Tsuna bit his lip as he trudged back to Gokudera’s apartment, wondering if he would find him there.


	6. Target 05: A Purrfect Solution

Gokudera had long since left the school. He had been unable to stand being there for any longer, and though he felt increasingly guilty about leaving his boss alone, he couldn’t bear to see him at the moment. So he had headed home, and tried his best to distract himself from his turbulent thoughts. The moment he arrived home, Gokudera buried himself in the latest issue of _The Wonders and Mysteries of the World,_ but for some reason, he couldn’t even get excited at the prospect of a new U.M.A. sighting. All he could think about was the fact that the Tenth would be returning to his apartment soon and Gokudera didn’t know how to act around him anymore. Not now at least. He needed time. 

Perhaps he could leave a note and leave for work early? 

Unable to keep still, Gokudera set about fixing up his house again, though there was little to do now. Giving up, he headed towards his closet and took out his uniform. Once dressed, he grabbed his wallet and keys, and was ready to go out. He wanted to buy a new pack of cigarettes on his way to work, since he had run out. _I probably shouldn’t._ Gokudera’s lips twitched into a self-deprecating smirk as he felt his throat protest at the thought. 

As Gokudera set about writing his boss a note explaining his absence, Tsuna arrived at the door of Gokudera’s apartment, still looking quite worried. At that moment though, the brunette finally realized that he didn’t have any way inside since he had assumed he would be walking back with Gokudera after school. “Umm, Gokudera-kun!” Tsuna called inside, and knocked on the door. “Are you inside?” 

Gokudera froze in the middle of writing his note. _Guess I’ll have to tell him personally…_ Crumbling the note up in his fist, Gokudera jammed the paper into his pocket and walked stiffly towards his door, before opening it. “Good - _cough cough-_ afternoon, Tenth!” He greeted his boss with a bow, trying to ignore his throat, which sounded strained even to his ears. “I was just leaving - _cough_ \- for work.” Gokudera scratched his throat uncomfortably, wincing at the stinging pain he caused himself every time he spoke. 

“G-Gokudera-kun! Your voice! What happened?!” Tsuna looked at him, his voice full of concern as he grabbed Gokudera’s hand and dragged him back inside. He rushed over to the kitchen, dropping his bag along the way, before returning with a glass of water. He held it out for Gokudera to drink. 

“I’m - _cough-_ I’m fine, really.” Gokudera coughed again, but accepted the glass of water and drank it down gratefully. As the water passed down his irritated throat, he couldn’t help but to wince. He let out an inaudible but painful groan, his hand moving to grasp his throat as if that would heal it. _Stupid… Shouldn’t have smoked so much._ Gokudera grimaced. He hadn’t actually noticed how bad it was until now, as he hadn’t spoken since leaving school. 

“No, you’re not, Gokudera-kun!” Tsuna frowned at the other’s words. “You can’t go to work like this. Please go lie down and don’t talk anymore.” Tsuna took the glass back with the intention of going fill it up again. 

Gokudera shook his head. “I have to go. I had to take the day off yester—” His voice broke in midsentence once more and he winced. 

Tsuna frowned, and set the glass down before taking Gokudera’s hand. “Gokudera-kun, please! One more day wouldn’t hurt. As a waiter, you’ll be talking all night. You need a chance to rest your voice or your throat could get really injured!” Tsuna protested, his voice pleading. 

Gokudera shook his head again, his expression stubborn. “I have to go. I _need_ to go. No one else _-cough-_ is available to cover for me, and I need the money—” Gokudera winced again and stopped talking. He knew the Tenth was right. He knew he shouldn’t risk his voice and make himself worse. He wasn’t even up to working today….but he had to get away. 

“But, Gokudera-kun… You have to get paid sick days, right? What if you work another day? I could call your boss and talk to him for you! Anything, I just don’t want you strain yourself! Please, Gokudera-kun!” Tsuna clasped his hands together and looked at Gokudera with desperate eyes. 

Gokudera avoided looking at the Tenth and just turned towards the door. “I’ll be back late tonight, so please don’t wait up for me, Tenth,” he told him gruffly, trying not to strain his voice. His work hours actually began much later than now, however Gokudera just wanted to get out of the house. He didn’t think he could handle being near his boss for so many hours at the moment. _I’m not fit to be his right-hand man after all… Adult Lambo had to be wrong._  Remembering his earlier meeting as well as the picture did not help Gokudera’s current mental state. 

“N-no!” Tsuna quickly moved to block the front of the door, holding his arms out on either side of him. He looked at Gokudera sternly and braced himself against the threshold, making sure he couldn’t be moved. “I’m not letting you leave, Gokudera-kun! I’m not moving from this spot!” 

“Boss… please move.” 

Tsuna frowned and shook his head. “I won’t! I’m not moving, Gokudera-kun!” he insisted stubbornly. 

For the first time ever, Gokudera actually got annoyed at his boss. His expression looked disgruntled. 

Tsuna looked at Gokudera and frowned, trying to do his best to stay put and not cower away. “Please, Gokudera-kun!” Tsuna bit his lip and stared up at him pleadingly. “I’ll do anything if you just rest today! Please!” 

It seemed it was impossible for the bomb-user to stay mad at the brunette. Gokudera’s eyes softened and he finally gave up. He really couldn’t resist his boss’ pleas. “Alright,” he sighed reluctantly, running a hand through his hair. He wasn’t exactly content with staying home, but he hoped he would be able to convince his boss to let him go later. Or at least slip away when it was time to leave. “I’ll stay.” Gokudera gave in for now. 

Tsuna relaxed and looked relieved. “Thank you, Gokudera-kun! I’m so glad… Oh, I know! How about I make some of the ramen from yesterday! The hot broth will make your throat feel better,” he said, before leading his right-hand man off to the bedroom and proceeding to usher him into the bed. “I’ll be right back. Please rest, Gokudera-kun,” he instructed the bomb-wielder in a quiet but firm tone, before hurrying to the kitchen. 

Gokudera let himself be pushed back into his bed. It felt nice to be nursed for once, he thought as he shifted around in bed. He was so used to taking care of himself when he was sick (or rather, enduring past it). It had been a long time…since anyone had… 

Though Gokudera wasn’t really tired, as he waited for his boss to come back, his eyelids slowly, unwillingly, began to close. _I’ll wake up a little bit later… I won’t be late today…_

Soon enough, Gokudera fell into a light sleep. 

Half an hour passed before Tsuna finished making the ramen, and not wanting to keep the silver-haired teen waiting anymore, he walked into the room with a bowl full of it. But when he saw Gokudera asleep, the brunette decided to feed him later and let him sleep for now. Tsuna pulled up the blanket so that Gokudera would be warm and looked at him for a moment, before leaving the room. 

When he walked back to the living room, the brunette became suddenly aware of the very familiar scent of espresso. Tsuna turned to look at the table and huffed. “Reborn!” he hissed quietly, so as not to wake Gokudera up. “What are you doing here?” 

Reborn was sitting on the table, a tiny cup of coffee in his hand. “I’m here for you, Tsuna. Be respectful and sit down,” he said, not bothering to lower his voice. 

Tsuna turned towards the bedroom door as if expecting Gokudera to wake up right then; but he didn’t. Tsuna walked over to his tutor and set the bowl in his hands down on the table, before sitting down as instructed. “What do you mean you’re here for me?” 

“I talked with the Ninth this morning,” Reborn said with a sober air. 

Tsuna straightened up. His thoughts left Gokudera and returned to his own predicament. His Dying Will. “You did?” Tsuna’s voice went a bit higher-pitched, and he tensed in nerves. “What did he say?” 

“He said there’s nothing we can do,” Reborn said simply. 

“What?!” Tsuna squeaked. “What do you mean there’s nothing you can do?!” 

“The Dying Will Flames are a powerful substance.” Reborn looked straight at Tsuna with a seriousness that made the brunette’s skin crawl. “The Flames are woven into your very blood. Your Family inheritance.” 

“But I don’t want to be a—” Tsuna began to argue, but Reborn stood up. 

“Exactly.” The Arcobaleno placed the cup down on the table with a small clink. “You’re rejecting everything that makes you who you are. My bullets are doing their job, but you’re the one who’s causing this.” 

Tsuna’s eyes widened and he stared at Reborn, his mouth open in shock. He felt like he should defend himself, say something to prove Reborn wrong, but nothing was coming. In fact, what Reborn was saying was making sense, and it was that realization that made a lead weight settle heavily in his stomach. 

Reborn stared at Tsuna and shook his head. “There’s nothing I can do, Tsuna. There’s nothing anyone can do. These are your Flames. Your fight.” He hopped off the table and Tsuna didn’t turn to watch him go. 

 

* * *

 

It was a little bit after an hour when Gokudera woke up. He rubbed his eyes and rolled out of bed, feeling slightly sluggish. His throat only ached less now, but Gokudera knew that if he strained it, it would only get worse again. Feeling a bit thirsty, Gokudera made his way out of his room and towards the kitchen. 

Tsuna was sitting on the couch, trying to focus on his homework and ignore his conversation with Reborn when Gokudera left his room. The moment Tsuna saw him, he immediately got up, putting his work aside. “Ah, Gokudera-kun! You’re awake! How’s your throat? Are you hungry?” He began fussing over the other and did his best to act like usual. 

Gokudera stopped for a second and felt slightly embarrassed at being fussed over. He opened his mouth to answer, but his boss stopped him before he could utter a word, and before he knew it, they were in the kitchen. Gokudera couldn’t help but to smile slightly at his boss’ actions. He watched the other fuss around the kitchen and felt his chest warm, but he pushed this feeling away. As the Tenth moved to heat up the food in the microwave, Gokudera moved to serve himself a glass of water. He barely had a chance to drink it though, because his boss was soon ushering him to the table. 

“Be careful, Gokudera-kun. You should blow on it first,” Tsuna warned him as he set the plate and a pair of chopsticks down. 

Gokudera smiled up at his boss for a second, feeling a surge of affection well up in him that he swiftly pushed back as he began eating the soup quietly. “Thank you for the meal…” he whispered lowly as to not strain his throat. The ramen was good. And of course it was. The Tenth had made it. 

Tsuna smiled, feeling pleased. “Any time, Gokudera-kun,” he said, before heading back to the kitchen. A moment later, Tsuna came back out with another bowl in his hands. He set the plate down on the table, moving to sit next to Gokudera. “Is your throat feeling better?” he asked him. “Just nod or shake your head. Don’t talk if you don’t need to.” 

Gokudera nodded obediently as he set his utensils down in order to pick up the bowl and drink from it. The warm liquid felt really soothing to his throat. It was nice. 

But as he ate, Gokudera began think about how to slip past the Tenth tonight. He had not taken off his uniform yet, so all he had to do was get out of the house. Somehow. 

Tsuna breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad… If you keep resting like this, you’ll definitely be better by tomorrow!” he said happily. He ate a bit of his soup but had forgotten to blow on it. Tsuna yelped as the noodles burned his tongue and he blushed in embarrassment. 

Gokudera was lost in his thoughts when he heard the Tenth’s voice and reacted out of instinct. “Tenth!” he instantly yelped, standing up from his chair and looking at him in worry. He winced as his throat stung slightly; but he didn’t sound that bad, only a little bit gruff. “Are you alright?” Gokudera asked, biting his lip, before he rushed to get him a glass of water. He handed the glass to his boss, his hand brushing slightly against the other’s. Gokudera’s fingers twitched at the contact, wishing he could prolong it but resisting the urge. “Are you… alright?” Gokudera repeated quietly, gazing at his boss’ mouth in concern, and just a little bit of longing. He felt his cheeks heating up and inwardly berated himself for it. 

Tsuna drank the water he was offered and nodded. “Yes… but you should rest your voice…” he said, trailing off as he felt the other’s gaze on him. Tsuna’s gaze switched quickly from the table to Gokudera a couple times, his mind racing suddenly as he thought about the past two days’ events. 

“Gokudera-kun…” Tsuna looked down at the table, trying to change the subject, trying to figure out what he should say. Then, he remembered. “Um, I wanted to ask you… Where did you go today? Yamamoto and I were worried, you know.” 

Gokudera’s eyes widened at the question and it made him immediately withdraw from the other, taking a step back as his expression shifted with guilt. “I… ” Gokudera wasn’t even sure of what to say. What _could_ he say? 

 _I’m sorry, boss, but I think I’ve fallen in love with you and I can’t stand the way you smile at anyone who’s not me?_  

_I’m sorry, boss, but I can’t stand looking at that baseball freak in the face without thinking about that stupid dream and that stupid picture?_

And what a joke that was. How greedy could he be to be longing after two different people? It sickened him really. The Tenth didn’t deserve that. And neither did that idiot… 

Why wasn’t Gokudera telling him anything? Gokudera had always been so open with him, always willing to talk. What had changed? _Oh._ Tsuna realized. His mind wandered back to the kiss they shared, the kiss Tsuna had asked for, and then rejected in panic… Was that the reason Gokudera had smoked his throat dry? 

_/ Make him tell you. If he won’t speak, force him to speak. /_

Tsuna immediately put his hands on both ears as if by doing so he could block out the voice.  
  
 _/ You are his boss. He is your subordinate. Suck it up and punish him. FORCE him to speak to you! /_

Tsuna looked up at Gokudera with a panicked, scared expression. “It’s back!” Tsuna’s fingers dug into his head in frustration and he shook his head as if the motion would make the voice go away. “I hear it, Gokudera-kun… That voice, it’s telling me to…" Tsuna closed his eyes and felt a few tears of frustration slip out. “I… I don’t want to hurt you again, Gokudera-kun!” 

Gokudera was startled by this sudden announcement. The Tenth hadn’t gone into Dying Will mode, so why was this happening? And why did this voice want the Tenth to hurt him? This was the second time the other personality had wanted to do so. Gokudera didn’t understand… All he knew was that this was his fault somehow… and that it was hurting the Tenth. The thought made Gokudera hate himself fiercely as he wondered what he could do to help his boss. “What… is it saying?” Gokudera asked the other cautiously, wondering if he really wanted to know the answer. 

Tsuna’s head hurt. “He says… I need to punish you…” he confessed softly, before gritting his teeth slightly.  
  
 _/ Be stronger! You’re useless! /_  
  
Tsuna closed his eyes again and shook his head slightly, scared of the voice speaking to him. 

Gokudera didn’t know what to do. He needed to calm his boss down, but he also wanted to know… 

 “Why me? What have I done?” The words slipped out before he could stop them. Gokudera didn’t understand why the Tenth’s other personality would want to punish him… He felt overcome with the need to know why. 

Gokudera stepped forward and rested his hands on his boss’ shoulders. He waited for the brunette to lift his gaze before looking at him straight in the eye. “Please… whatever it is, please forgive me.” Gokudera tried not to show how much all this talking was beginning to irritate his throat again and just focused on helping the Tenth. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, hoping this would help, if at least a little. 

He hated this… He didn’t want the Tenth to suffer like this… 

Tsuna’s eyes flashed orange for a moment, but then he sighed slightly. He slumped against Gokudera, looking exhausted.   
  
_/ If he tries to pull anything like that again, do not hold back. You’ll never command any respect this way. /_  
  
Tsuna stayed silent for several moments, before he looked at Gokudera again. “It’s gone for now…” Tsuna bit his lip before leaning closer to rest his head on Gokudera’s chest. “Thank you, Gokudera-kun…” 

Gokudera felt himself relax at those words. He smiled at his boss, glad to have helped. “Anytime, boss.” 

They stayed like that for a moment, at least until Gokudera took a real notice of their proximity. He scrambled back then and let go of his boss, because as much as he would have liked to continue holding the Tenth… he just couldn’t. Gokudera ignored the ache in his chest. 

“A-anyway,” Gokudera stuttered slightly, trying to sound casual as opposed to revealing the turmoil that he was actually feeling. “I need to go out for a bit to get some things at the convenience store, so…” Gokudera attempted to leave the room, hoping the Tenth hadn’t notice the return of his throat ache. 

“B-but, Gokudera-kun… You still need to rest.” Tsuna frowned and moved to follow the other. “How about you give me the money? I’ll go get the things you need, so please stay here and rest…” 

“I wouldn’t want to bother you, Tenth! I’ll only be out for a little bit… And, anyway, this kind of thing is a bit hard to acquire,” Gokudera told him. “I won’t be long,” he promised, hoping his boss would let him go. 

Tsuna looked at Gokudera for a moment before nodding. “Okay, Gokudera-kun. I… I trust you. I’ll be waiting for you to come back. Be careful.” He frowned worriedly. 

Gokudera felt his stomach tighten in guilt. _Dammit… I guess I’ll have to skip work after all._ Resigned, he tried to smile reassuringly at the Tenth. “See you in a while then,” he said as he picked up his wallet and keys, and headed out the door. 

It didn’t take long for Gokudera to buy what he needed, but the walk back to his apartment was a slow one. The cigarette pack in his pocket seemed to weigh him down heavily, and though he was slightly eager to feel the calming rush of nicotine again, his throat felt uncomfortable at the thought. Gokudera stuffed his hands in his pockets and tried to ignore both feelings. He tried to keep himself distracted, not wanting to think about what was happening between him and his boss, not to mention the whole Dying Will situation. Just thinking about it again made Gokudera feel frustrated. He wished there was something he could do to help his boss. 

So lost that he was in his thoughts, he didn’t notice he was already nearing the corner of his complex. Then, a couple steps later, his legs were suddenly ambushed. “Hah—?!” Gokudera tripped and landed painfully on his face. He let out an annoyed growl as he lifted himself up to see what caused his fall. The sight before him made his eyes widen. 

“Mrow…” A small white kitten was purring and rubbing up against Gokudera’s leg. The kitten meowed weakly though, and looked skinner than it should be. His fur was ragged and dirty, but his big yellow eyes shone innocently as he stared up at Gokudera. 

Gokudera’s first instinct was to leave the cat be and continue to walk back to his apartment. But those eyes… At the sight of them, Gokudera couldn’t help but to carefully pick up the cat. _It’s so small_ … “Hey…” Gokudera whispered quietly, mindful of his voice. “Are you lost?” he asked the kitten as he searched for a tag, finding none. “A stray then…” he murmured, almost nostalgically. He rubbed his thumb over the stiff fur of the kitten’s head, which was matted with dirt and disheveled. 

The small kitten purred and meowed, looking happy at the affectionate touch. He nuzzled his head against Gokudera’s thumb before lifting his mouth and licking at it. He let out a needy meow as he nibbled softly on Gokudera’s thumb. The kitten was obviously hungry. 

Gokudera didn’t know what possessed him. His heart went out to the poor kitten, which looked weak and absolutely famished. Gokudera picked himself up from the floor, and carrying the kitten tenderly in his arms, he continued to make his way towards his apartment. He began to fish his keys out of his pocket as he approached his door. 

Tsuna had just finished washing the dishes when he heard Gokudera’s return. “Welcome back, Gokudera-kun,” he called out as he stepped out of the kitchen. His eyes widened, however, the moment he saw the cat that was cradled in Gokudera’s arms. “Oh my god… It’s so skinny.” Tsuna frowned and hurried back to the kitchen to grab a small bowl. He filled it up with milk before heading back out. “Here, Gokudera-kun. Let him drink this,” he said, putting the bowl down on the floor. 

Gokudera let the kitten down on the floor, who immediately rushed towards the bowl with a happy meow. Gokudera smiled softly at the sight. “I found him outside the complex,” he explained quietly, his eyes never leaving the small kitten. 

Tsuna smiled a bit as well he watched the kitten drink the milk with gusto. He glanced up at Gokudera and then back down at the kitten. “So… does that mean you’re going to keep him, Gokudera-kun?” he asked the other curiously, watching as the kitty stuck one of his paws in the bowl and spilled some milk in his excitement. 

Gokudera blinked, looking startled at the question. “Keep him?” he repeated, having not really thought about it. He looked at the small white kitten for a moment. “I guess… I wouldn’t mind the company…” he murmured, his lips quirking upwards slightly. 

Tsuna’s lips lifted into a smile as well. “I’ll help you take care of him!” he volunteered before moving back to the kitchen. Tsuna looked around for a bit before finding a small can of tuna. He made sure to drain it before heading back out and putting the can next to the bowl. The kitten immediately dug in, eating the tuna happily. 

Gokudera smiled at the Tenth in gratitude and watched on as the cat began swishing his tail happily the more he continued to eat. Gokudera wondered how long it had been since the kitten had gotten any food… How long had he been out there, alone and without anyone to care for it? 

Gokudera frowned in sympathy. He watched the kitten for a minute more before he began to make his way to the bathroom. “I’m going to draw some water. Uri is in serious need of a bath,” he said, referring to the white kitten. 

“…Uri?” Tsuna stared at Gokudera for a moment. _Such a weird name!_ he thought on instinct, but bit his tongue, remembering the state Gokudera was in. “That's a nice name!” he said instead as he bent down to pet the small kitten. “Uri it is,” he said, smiling as the kitty meowed loudly and continued to eat. However, once Gokudera left the room, Uri began to mewl and cry loudly, running after Gokudera. Tsuna blinked in surprised and followed after it. 

Gokudera almost tripped again as the white projectile that was now his cat suddenly darted in between his legs. He wobbled and tried to keep his balance steady to no avail. Gokudera ended up falling into the water he had drawn up just a second earlier. “Uri!” he complained, shooting a disgruntled glare at the white kitten that had followed him inside the bathroom. 

Gokudera’s hair was completely drenched and was sticking to his head. His uniform had gotten wet too, and was now sticking to him like a second layer of skin. Gokudera struggled to get out of the bathtub but he slipped on a bar of soap that he had knocked over when he had first fallen. “Ouch!” he exclaimed as he bumped his head against the wall. 

“Ah!” Tsuna hurried into the bathroom and grabbed Gokudera’s slippery hand. “Let me help you up, Gokudera-kun…” he said, but as he tried to help him, Tsuna’s overwhelming clumsiness took over and he slipped. “HIII!” Tsuna squeaked as he fell on top of Gokudera. He grimaced as he felt his own clothes get soaked in the process. 

A safe distance away, Uri tilted his head as he sat on the dry floor. His tail moved from side to side as he watched them. 

Gokudera winced as his boss landed on him. He tried to shift around, though there was not much room to so. He couldn’t help but to notice that his face was a mere inch away from his boss’. Their close proximity was making Gokudera lose his composure. He tried to back away further into the wall, feeling his face burn hotly. “T-Tenth…” he stammered. 

Tsuna’s eyes widened as he stared down at Gokudera. He was unable to move for a few seconds, but then he quickly scrambled off of him. “S-sorry!” Tsuna squeaked as he hurried out of the tub. 

Uri pawed at the edge of the tub, trying to get to Gokudera as he meowed loudly. 

Gokudera shook his head, trying to will his blush away. “Uri!” he reprimanded the cat again as he, too, hurried out of the tub. He felt completely soaked, though he was grateful that the water had been warm. Gokudera picked up his new cat by the scruff of his neck then and glared at him slightly. 

“Meeooow!” 

Uri was giving him such an adorable look… Gokudera easily relented. “You were only trying to follow me… but next time, try not to trip me.” Though Gokudera’s tone was reprimanding, there was a soft look in his eyes. 

Uri meowed happily when Gokudera retracted his scolding. Tsuna smiled a bit at this before he grabbed a few towels. “Here, Gokudera-kun,” he said, holding one out to him. “It seems we ended up taking a bath instead of Uri.” He laughed. 

Gokudera chuckled as well as he accepted the towel. “This little furball seems to have a lot more energy than I thought.” He rubbed his thumb against the cat’s head again, watching as the kitten squirmed happily against it. He put the kitten down in the tub then, laying the towel aside as he began to give the cat a bath. 

Uri complained about the water when he was placed in it. His fur stood on end, and he hissed, trying to get out of the tub. Tsuna smiled at the sight. “I’ll go get you a change of clothes, Gokudera-kun,” he said before heading out to Gokudera’s room. He made sure to get a change of clothes for himself as well. 

“Thanks!” Gokudera called out after him, a tad distracted. He focused on giving Uri a bath, who kept hissing at him in displeasure. “You’re dirty,” he told the cat. “It’s really not so bad, is it?” he asked as he began brushing Uri gently, his thumbs caressing his fur softly. 

Uri continued to complain until Gokudera caressed him. He purred and stayed in the tub, although he still looked uncomfortable. 

A few moments later, Tsuna came back, wearing dry clothes and carrying some clothes for Gokudera as well. “Here, Gokudera-kun,” he said as he put the clothes down on the counter so Uri wouldn’t wet them with his splashing. 

Gokudera continued to clean off Uri from all the dirt and grime, his nails scratching the kitten lightly, rubbing against his ears. The water soon turned dark and filthy, and Gokudera had to drain it all and refill the tub. When the silver-haired teen was done, Uri looked much better. His fur was shiny and damp, as well as messy. Gokudera smiled before finally turning his attention to his boss. “Ah, thank you for the clothes, Tenth. Would you mind brushing Uri’s fur while I change clothes?” he asked as he handed over the kitten to him. After pointing out where the brushes were, he began to slip off his shirt. 

“Yeah, of course, Gokudera-kun,” Tsuna said, and he took his own towel to dry Uri off a bit before getting a brush. He glanced over to Gokudera then and did a double take when he saw the other’s bare back. “G-Gokudera-kun! Your back!” Tsuna gasped as he saw the multitude of scars that covered the other’s back. 

Gokudera’s stiffened, and his eyes widened at his boss’ words. _How could I have forgotten about that?_ Gokudera flailed for a second before turning around and backing against the wall, his shirt covering his chest in reflex, though he had nothing to hide there. “T-that…!” he began nervously, not sure of what to say. He let out an awkward laugh as he tried to brush off the situation. “Those are… um…” He wasn’t sure of what to say or whether to lie to him. 

“Gokudera-kun… What happened to you?” Tsuna frowned, holding Uri in his arms, whom was curled up in the warm towel. “Let… Let me see.” Tsuna approached the other and put his hand on his shoulder. He tugged at it slightly, trying to move him off the wall. 

Gokudera gulped, and tried to press himself further back into the wall. His face colored lightly in shame. “They’re really nothing, Tenth…” Gokudera’s voice was low and could not hide his embarrassment. Those scars… They were a reminder of his failures. He had never wanted the Tenth to see them. 

“Gokudera-kun!” Tsuna looked up at him pleadingly. “I… I’m worried about you. Please let me check,” he pleaded again. Those scars… They looked as if they hurt Gokudera once upon a time… and hurt badly. 

Gokudera shook his head slightly. “There’s nothing to be worried about, Tenth. These scars… They’re old. They don’t even hurt anymore!” Gokudera tried to shoot his boss a reassuring smile but just couldn’t manage. He turned his eyes downcast, not able to face his boss’ pleading expression any longer. 

Tsuna put Uri down on the floor and moved closer, grabbing Gokudera’s arm with both hands. The gray-haired teen reluctantly relented and let himself be turned around. Brown eyes widened once more as Tsuna took in the sight before him. He placed his hand on Gokudera’s back and worriedly began tracing some of the scars, feeling the coarse and raised skin. “I’m sorry, Gokudera-kun,” he said softly. 

Gokudera gasped quietly, feeling his skin tingle at the warm contact. His eyes closed involuntarily and he felt his throat clog up, his mouth unable to form words. 

Upon hearing him, Tsuna immediately backed off. His face flushed darkly in embarrassment at his actions. “S-sorry…!” he apologized quickly, looking downcast. He hesitated for a moment, before he went to pick up Uri again to resume his brushing. 

Love. Shame. Frustration. Fear. Want. Despair. Unworthiness. Gokudera’s body shook and he pressed his lips tight together as he tried to control his emotions. He gripped the counter with shaking arms, trying to hold his weight. “They’re from training,” he confessed quietly, afraid that if he spoke any louder he would not only lose his voice again but also his nerve. 

“But…” Tsuna looked up at Gokudera’s words, his eyebrows scrunched together. He tried not to focus on the sight in front of him. “You got hurt so much…” he whispered, his lips tilted into a small frown as he continued to brush Uri. At this point, he was just trying to find something to do with his hands. 

Gokudera smiled bitterly at the reminder. “That just goes to show that I’m still not good enough. To get scars like this still…” Though most of the scars on Gokudera’s back were old and faded, there were a few that stood out. These were recent ones that had yet to heal and stood out more prominently amongst the others. 

“Gokudera-kun… You shouldn’t dwell on things like that.” Tsuna’s frown deepened in concern. 

Gokudera looked off to the side at these words. How could he not dwell on it? These scars… They were a sigh of his weakness. If he couldn’t protect himself, how could he hope to protect the Tenth? Gokudera closed his eyes briefly and tried to shake these thoughts away. Finally, he turned to put on the shirt his boss had brought him. He made sure to avoid the Tenth’s eyes once he was done, not wanting to see the disappointment he was so sure he would find there. 

The tense atmosphere that had formed between them was only broken a few seconds later, as Uri hissed loudly. The cat looked disgruntled and swiped at Tsuna’s hands, complaining. It appeared that in his distraction, Tsuna had brushed him too hard. “Ah… sorry, Uri,” Tsuna murmured as he picked the kitten up in his arms. The expression on his face remained downcast. 

Gokudera’s gaze turned to look at the kitten as it continued to make a fuss. Hesitantly, he reached forward for Uri, his hand accidentally brushing lightly against the brunette’s. Gokudera’s eyes closed briefly at the contact before he forced himself to pull away “I should probably find some place for you to sleep, hmm, little guy?” he murmured, turning to address the kitten. Gokudera walked away from the bathroom without another word, leaving a trail of water dripping after him. 

Tsuna watched him leave with a completely miserable expression on his face. He didn’t know why but something inside him was aching. 

Gokudera headed towards his room, placed Uri on the bed, and moved to his closet to change out of his wet pants, having left the other pair in the bathroom. He let out a dull sigh as he sat down on his bed, his hand moving to pet Uri’s head absentmindedly. He resisted the strong urge to smoke. 

“Meewww~” Uri meowed as he dodged Gokudera’s hand and instead pounced on it, nibbling playfully on his finger. He looked up at Gokudera for a moment before meowing again and moving to lie on his back, swiping his paws up at Gokudera’s hand. 

“Ouch!” Gokudera was snapped out of his morose thoughts as Uri began to bite and scratch him. “You…” His eyebrow twitched, but a moment later, his hand pounced on the little furball, his fingers teasing the kitten. Gokudera couldn’t help but to smile slightly, welcoming the distraction, though the ache in his chest continued to remain. He felt a bit cheered up, but there were still many things that were weighing on his mind. 

Gokudera continued to play with the cat until they were both tired out. Letting out another big sigh, he closed his eyes and plopped down on his bed facedown next to his new pet. He felt a little better now… “Thank you, Uri,” he whispered tiredly. 

Uri curled up next to Gokudera’s head, nibbling at his hair for a bit, before snuggling up and curling up in the crook of Gokudera’s neck, purring gently. 

Tsuna, who was sitting outside the bedroom, smiled. He was glad that Gokudera’s mood had improved. Tsuna hugged his knees close, staying on the floor. His expression turned suddenly somber as he looked towards the table, remembering the conversation he’d had with Reborn earlier; remembering his words. It was his fault Gokudera was getting hurt. It was his fault that this stuff was happening inside his head. Maybe Reborn was right? Maybe accepting his fate would be the easiest solution… 

 _No way._ Tsuna quickly thought to himself, fear clamping these thoughts down and stopping them immediately. _There’s no way I’m going to be a mafia boss._  

And just as he thought those words, a quick flash of heat passed over his face, as if a burst of flame had just been there.


	7. Target 06: Babies are Conniving

 

“I don’t know what to do!” Dino exclaimed, looking completely depressed. He let out a frustrated sigh, tugging at his hair as he complained to his ex-mentor. “They keep pressuring me to marry some broad or another, but I can’t bring myself to even kiss them!” he told Reborn, groaning into his hands as he tried not to rip his hair out. 

“It’s very simple, Dino,” Reborn said as he petted Leon. “Don’t kiss them.” He nodded as if it was the most obvious thing. “A Mafia boss is respectful to a lady and thus does not do what isn’t wanted.” He then looked at Dino. “How is your time with Hibari then?” He smiled. Of course Reborn knew. Reborn knows all. 

Dino had the decency to blush. “Reborn!” he cried out half-heartedly, before sighing. “I really like him, you know…” He shot Reborn a frustrated look. “If only there was a way I could stay with him and continue the Cavallone Family… I mean, it would be easy to keep him as my lover even if I were married but… I would hate it. It wouldn’t be fair. To anyone.” He frowned. 

Reborn smirked slightly, and once Leon turned into a gun, the Arcobaleno raised his arm and pointed it at Dino. “Why not make him marry you?” he suggested simply. 

Dino stared nervously at the gun. “That’s impossible! He would kill me if I were to even consider the question!” He laughed warily, his eyes never leaving the gun. He had had his end of bad experiences with the Dying Will bullet. He hoped to god Reborn wouldn’t shoot him with it… 

“Then die.” Reborn cocked his gun… but he didn’t shoot. He pulled the gun back, and Leon crawled back onto his hat after returning to normal. “Hmm, but you know, joining the Cavallone Family and the Vongola Family would be good for both of us. You and Tsuna already think of each other as brothers after all,” Reborn said, before he smirked, getting that familiar twinkle in his eye. “Why don’t you pay Hibari a visit?” It sounded like a suggestion, but Dino knew Reborn well enough to recognize it as an order. 

Dino gulped, fearing whatever Reborn was up to. Why in the world had he come to complain to him anyway? “A-alright…” he stammered uneasily as he got out of his chair in a flash and began to strategically retreat. “I have to go now, so—SEE YA!” The blonde rushed out of the room. 

“Hm…” Reborn smirked. “Ciao Ciao.” Leon then turned into a sniper gun as Dino left…

 

* * *

 

Dino was troubled. He couldn’t get his encounter with Reborn out of his head. He wondered what his ex-tutor was plotting now. It couldn’t be anything good. It wouldn’t do Dino any good to try to figure it out though. He would likely end up driving himself crazy. 

Resigning himself to whatever doom was coming to him, Dino signaled Romario to stop outside Kyouya’s apartment. Dino didn’t bother knocking on his lover’s door and instead used the spare key to let himself in. He knew Kyouya would be sleeping now, so he walked into the bedroom and immediately smiled at the sight before him. As silently as he could, Dino approached the bed and caressed his student’s hair, before leaning in to kiss his forehead. He was completely oblivious to the fact that there was a small hole in the blanket right above where Kyouya’s bellybutton was. 

Hibari, being a light sleeper, was already awake and alert the moment he felt the caress, despite his eyes not being open. That didn’t last for long though. The prefect’s eyes snapped open as he reached out to grab Dino’s face, his fingers and thumb gripping each side of his cheeks as his palm covered the blonde’s mouth. “What are you doing here so late?” Hibari questioned, looking at the blonde with a hard, slightly irritated glare. 

Dino gave Kyouya’s hand a long lick, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “I just wanted to see you,” he answered as he gave the muffling hand a kiss. 

 _Again?_ Hibari removed his hand with a grimace and wiped it off on the sheets before sitting up. “You could have waited until the morning,” he said, looking up at Dino with a frown before glancing around, looking to see if Romario had accompanied Dino. 

Dino closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. “No, I couldn’t.” He sighed quietly but smiled, trying to hide the sheer longing that he felt at that moment. Dino leaned in to press a brief kiss on Kyouya’s mouth then before pulling back. “Romario’s waiting outside,” he told him, knowing his student was looking for him. Dino then brought up his hand and caressed his student’s cheek. As he looked down at him, Dino couldn’t help but to once again remember the conversation he had had with Reborn. “Kyouya…” Dino let out another quiet, needy sigh, failing to hide his frustration at his situation. He only ever wanted Kyouya… He never wanted to be with anyone else but him. Dino pressed his knee into the mattress before sitting down at the edge and wrapping his arms around his lover. He felt a surge of possessiveness overtake him. 

Hibari looked at Dino, letting the other touch him before he turned his head to the side. “You’re so troublesome…” Hibari muttered as he shrugged off the touch and pushed the blonde away. Standing up from his bed, Hibari began to walk off, looking slightly disgruntled. “I won’t be able to sleep for the rest of the night now,” he said accusingly. 

Dino followed after his student and wrapped his arms around him from behind. He pressed a light kiss on the prefect’s neck as his hands ran over the soft silk of his lover’s pajamas. “Come to bed,” Dino murmured as he pressed his stirring groin against Kyouya’s behind. “I’ll make you feel good,” he promised as his fingers began to play with the buttons of the black top, slowly unbuttoning them as he trailed a sensuous path up from his stomach to the top of his chest. 

Hibari’s hands hung limply at his sides as he turned his head to look at Dino. “Pervert,” he said as he stepped forward and slipped out of Dino’s grasp. Hibari shrugged out of his shirt then, before moving back to lie on his bed. “If you want it, take it,” he said simply. 

Dino flashed Kyouya a pleased smile at his words, before following after him. His knees left an imprint on the mattress as he straddled the other’s hips. There was a glint of possessiveness in Dino’s eyes as he stared down at his lover. _This brat… He really has no idea—probably wouldn’t even care—about my predicament_. Dino leaned down to press his lips firmly against the other’s then, his tongue darting inside Kyouya’s mouth, tasting him, savoring him. 

Hibari’s eyes became half-lidded as he allowed Dino to plunder his mouth. He ran his tongue along the other’s as well, lifting a hand and slipping his fingers into the blonde hair as he kissed him. 

Dino moaned contently into the kiss and pressed himself closer to his lover. His hands traced over the prefect’s bare chest, his fingertips brushing over the pale skin beneath him. Dino breathed heavily into their kiss as their mouths continued to mesh closer together. His teeth gnawed slightly on Kyouya’s lips and his tongue probed deeper. 

As Hibari returned the kiss, his other hand tugged at Dino’s jacket from behind. He pulled back slightly, tilting his head back as he looked up at him. “Undress,” he reminded the other pointedly. 

Dino chuckled, leaning his forehead against his student’s briefly as he tried to catch his breath. “You’re right,” he said with a quick grin and a darting kiss, before sitting up. The blonde began discarding his clothes then, disposing of his jacket first, before pulling off his shirt and throwing it to the floor. His belt quickly followed suit, but before Dino could even finish unbuttoning his pants, Hibari grabbed the blonde’s bare shoulders and flipped them over so that he was on top. He sat on Dino's lower stomach, his ass rubbing teasingly against the blonde’s still-clothed erection. Hibari smirked down at him. “I’ll take care of it,” he said. 

Dino let out a strained gasp at his lover’s ministrations. He gripped Kyouya’s hips tightly and bucked up against him in need. Dino wanted him so badly… Only him. Dino wanted to show his lover how much he wanted him. He licked his lips, panting as he moved to touch his lover’s hardened erection, his thumb pressing against the tip as he rubbed circles over it through the thin cloth. “Kyouya…” 

Hibari let out a soft moan. Somehow… things felt a lot more intense than usual. His hips jolted slightly at Dino’s touch, wanting to feel more of it. It was through sheer force of will that he managed to pull away from the blonde’s touch. Hibari leaned back and then proceeded to disrobe them both of their remaining clothes. He reached over his night stand to retrieve some lube and began preparing himself quickly, rubbing against Dino’s erection as he did so. Not before long, he lifted his hips, positioning himself, before finally thrusting down on Dino’s member, getting it in deep. Hibari couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped his throat then. This felt so much better than the other times… Did Dino drug him or something? 

Dino’s toes curled in pleasure as he felt the taut, hot walls of his lover tighten around his erection. He panted harshly, his hips thrusting up desperately as he slid into Kyouya’s warmth. His nails dug into the prefect’s hips as he forced him back down into his member, again and again. His other hand occupied itself by taking hold of Kyouya’s leaking erection, stroking it rhythmically. 

Hibari felt as if sakura blossoms were surrounding him. He could feel his strength draining as his body became overwhelmed by the wonderful, pure feeling of pleasure. Hibari’s head lolled forward and he panted heavily as his hips moved in time with Dino’s thrusts; the only thing driving him right now was his hunger for more pleasure. Hibari didn’t understand. Usually he was able to keep his cool during their sessions… 

Dino noted distractedly that something was off with his lover. It took all of his effort to still his thrusts and sit up, still fully inside his student. “What’s wrong?” Dino panted slightly, his voice a breathy, shaky sound. The brief second that it took him to ask this question felt much too long however, and Dino closed his eyes and pulled his lover closer to him, unable to bear the frustration. The movement caused a sweet, sweet friction that sent a jolt of pleasure through his body, and Dino could not help but to roll over and push his lover back into the bed before continuing to thrust into him. 

Hibari didn’t care that he was on his back again. He wrapped his arms around Dino’s neck, his nails digging into the other’s skin. “Don’t… stop…” He panted roughly, and closed his eyes as he focused on the pleasure building up inside of him. He tilted his head back, moaning as the blonde continued. 

“Kyouya…” Dino pressed his mouth against his lover’s collarbone before resting his sweaty forehead on the crook of his neck as he picked up his pace. 

“I can’t… Ngh… Ah!” Oh, this was so frustrating! Why couldn’t Hibari’s mouth listen to him and form coherent sentences!? But the more Dino continued to hit that spot inside of him, the more the connection between his mouth and his brain was completely severed. “Dino!” Hibari gasped and moaned as he wrapped his legs tight around the blonde’s waist. Overcome by the sheer pleasure, he dug his nails deep into the other’s shoulders, leaving dark red marks amongst the blonde’s tattoos. 

Dino’s body couldn’t help but to grow hotter at the sound of his lover’s cries and he thrust deeper inside him, wanting to hear more of those beautiful noises. It was so unusual for his Kyouya to be this vocal, but Dino could not help but to love it. He felt intoxicated by those sounds and wanted to hear more of them. 

“Mmn!” Hibari moaned and gripped the other tightly as he felt the pleasure begin to overwhelm him. Though he usually held out until Dino finished first, as Hibari already realized, this was not a usual session. Unable to hold out any longer, Hibari dug his nails deep into the blonde’s skin as his body reached its climax. His body shook at the intensity of his orgasm, but once the feelings of pleasure began to recede, Hibari’s limbs felt weak, as if all his strength had been sapped away from him. He didn’t like that. 

Dino felt his own climax approaching. His body shook in exertion as the blood in his veins simmered in pleasure. Dino clung to his lover, his grip on him becoming tighter as he felt Kyouya come hard underneath him, and as the warm hot spurt hit his belly, Dino groaned loudly, coming passionately inside his student in two more thrusts. 

When he was done, Dino allowed his body to relax. His heavy weight pressed down on the prefect for a few moments as he tried to catch his breath. He kissed his lover’s neck languidly then, before rolling over on the bed and closing his eyes. As he did so, he pulled his lover along with him and held him tightly in his arms. Usually, Kyouya pushed him away immediately, but tonight it seemed like everything was different. Something inside Dino’s chest began to ache at this moment—a surge of affection, of love. 

Hibari lay limply in Dino’s arms for a few seconds, before his sheer hatred of weakness brought back some of his strength. He allowed a few more moments to pass as he panted slightly, before grasping Dino’s shoulders. He attempted to push him away to no avail. “I’m going to go take a bath…” he breathed out, his voice weaker than he intended it to be. Hibari scowled at his weakness and wondered what was wrong. He was beginning to get pissed off. This couldn’t have happened without an outside interference. 

Dino’s earlier unease came back in full force as his lover pushed him away weakly. He shot him a concerned glance, wondering what was going on. “What’s wrong?” he asked him in confusion as he sat up. He grabbed the prefect’s arm by the crook of his elbow to prevent him from leaving. 

“Get off.” Hibari forced his voice to be stronger though his body still felt weak. He glared down at the hand holding on to him and willed his strength of come back to him as he yanked his arm away from the blonde’s touch. Hibari moved to stand up then… and immediately regretted it. His knees buckled under his weight, and much to his embarrassment, he fell. 

“Kyouya!” Dino rushed to get up from the bed in alarm as he tried to check out what was wrong with his lover. He barely avoided tripping over the bed sheets and he began to curse in panic. _Idiot! Stupid! Moron! I should have stopped before! I knew he was acting off!_ Dino hovered over the other and wondered if he should call Romario inside. 

“Shut up. Leave me alone,” Hibari warned lowly. He gathered his strength and grabbed onto the edge of the bed, using it as support as he got up to his feet. He stayed standing and glared down at the floor as he attempted to regain his balance, before stumbling off towards the bathroom. “Don’t follow me,” he said. 

Dino, naturally, didn’t listen. He frowned as he watched his lover stumble— _stumble!_ —into the bathroom, and followed after him, wanting to make sure the other didn’t fall or anything. 

Hibari stopped at the threshold of the bathroom door and looked back at Dino with a displeased look on his face. “I said, don’t follow me,” he growled. His hands braced against the door frame so that he could keep steady. 

“Don’t be stubborn.” Dino frowned at him, looking worried. “You can barely stand up as it is. You should let Romario have a look at you after your shower,” he suggested. He did not attempt to get any closer but instead kept a watchful eye on the other. He was ready to catch him if he fell. 

Hibari narrowed his eyes. He knew this, but to have it said to his face… Well, it pissed him off. After a few careful but quickly placed steps, Hibari slammed the bathroom door shut fast before Dino had a chance to follow him in. He made sure to lock the door as well, before silently moving over to the shower. 

“Kyouya!” Although Dino had expected this, he still felt a surge of annoyance at his lover’s actions. He tried to open the door and sighed loudly in exasperation when he couldn’t. “You stubborn, ungrateful, difficult brat,” the blonde grumbled as he ran hand through his messy hair. Still, he was worried. Kyouya wasn’t one to get weak by sickness or even poison (as he had proven multiple times during the Vongola conflicts). What could possibly be able to affect him in this manner? Dino didn’t know. He resigned himself to wait for the other to come out. Not knowing what else to do but wait, Dino turned to clean himself up, before picking up his clothes and dressing himself. He then moved to let Romario in after filling him in to the situation. The two waited in silence—at least, until Dino began to twitch impatiently. The blonde tapped his foot and drummed his fingers as he glanced at the door every 12 seconds; Romario counted. 

Hibari washed himself for ten minutes. He made sure he was thoroughly clean before filling up his tub with hot water. Already, he felt much more refreshed and was able to walk without needing support. Finally, as he slipped into the tub, Hibari allowed himself to relax, feeling his muscles loosen up in the hot water. As he rested with his neck deep in the water, Hibari began to run over everything in his head. If Dino had done something… But no, he wouldn't have. Dino was obsessed with Hibari’s wellbeing. It couldn’t have been him. As Hibari thought this, his cheeks began to redden—and this had nothing to do with the heat of the water or the steam that was filling up the room. Hibari ignored the hot burning feeling on his cheeks and forced himself to continue to recall what else could have weakened his body to this extent. He’d have to inspect his bedroom more fully. 

It was another twenty minutes before Hibari lifted himself from the tub and drained the water. He grabbed a towel to dry himself off, before wrapping it around his waist and walking out of the bathroom. Hibari walked past Romario, uncaring of the other’s presence as he went to get himself clothes. He felt fully refreshed, and his strength had returned to him as if it had never left in the first place. 

“Finally!” Dino looked up and felt the tension he had been carrying for the past half hour loosen at the sight of his lover standing on his own two feet without a problem. Still, he wanted to make sure everything was okay, so he signaled for Romario to give the Cloud Guardian a checkup. 

Hibari got a pair of boxers on before allowing Romario to look him over. As much as he hated allowing the inspection, Hibari wanted to see if a trained eye could spot if there was anything unusual with his body. But of course, since Reborn’s bullets left no markings, there was nothing. And the fact that there was nothing was what worried Hibari. 

Dino frowned as Romario gave the prefect a clean bill of health. What could have possibly caused Kyouya’s earlier weakness? Something must have caused it… 

Once Hibari finished getting dressed, he set about inspecting his room, checking to see if he could spot anything out of the ordinary. He walked over to his bed and looked over it when he finally spotted something. Hibari picked up his blanket and poked his finger through the hole that was there… a hole that hadn’t been there yesterday. 

“What is it?” Dino asked upon noticing his lover’s sudden interest in his bed. The blonde walked over and glanced down to what had caught his lover’s attention. That’s when he spotted the bullet-shaped hole. Dino’s spine chilled at the sight of it. His eyes darted to the bed as he tried to figure out if this had been some kind of assassination attempt… or worse. At the sight of the impeccable mattress however, Dino’s worst fears were realized. The bullet had clearly not hit the bed—which meant that it had hit its target. Considering that Kyouya showed no signs of having been injured, this could only mean one thing. 

Reborn. 

 _Oh, god. Why the hell did I have to open my mouth?_ Dino began to fret as he wondered what this could possibly mean. What exactly had Reborn done to his lover? Dino dreaded to know—but what he dreaded more was what Kyouya’s reaction would be when he found out Dino was somewhat involved in all of this. The combination of all these realizations was beginning to make the blonde feel light-headed. A small hopeless whimper threatened to escape him, but thankfully, Dino managed to faint just in time and avoided incriminating himself. 

“Boss!” Romario’s eyes widened and he moved quickly in order to catch his boss as he fell. He frowned, wondering what had happened as he placed his boss down on the bed and began to check him over. 

But while Romario fretted over his boss, Hibari narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He had come to the conclusion that Dino knew exactly what was going on; if not, he knew a lot. When Dino woke up, he was going to go through hell if he didn’t answer Every Single Question that Hibari had. 

But as morning hit, Hibari began to feel lightheaded. The weakness in his body was starting to return. On top of that, a wave of overwhelming nausea began to wash over him. Hibari struggled to keep it down to no avail. He dashed to the bathroom and began emptying his stomach into the toilet. 

A minute passed. Though it didn’t take long for Hibari to recover, he was frustrated. What was going on!? He didn’t understand. As the urge to take out his frustration on someone began to overwhelm him, Hibari stalked back into his room, brushing brusquely past Romario, who had followed after him earlier. 

“I’m leaving,” Hibari stated angrily as he grabbed his jacket and threw it over his shoulders before heading for the door. “Contact me when Dino wakes up.” Hibari’s demand left no room for argument. He scowled darkly and slammed the door behind him as he left his apartment. As he walked outside, Hibird fluttered over and landed on his shoulder. 

“Hibari! Hibari!” 

But not even the presence of the small bird was going to calm the prefect down. Hibari was going to do some _biting_ today. 

Romario watched as the seventeen-year-old stormed off and reached for his phone to inform the usual guards to keep an eye on the boy, as per usual. The request had been one that his boss had been making for months now, but this was the first time Romario actually thought it was justified. Romario then let out an exasperated noise as he caught Dino still pretending be unconscious. 

“He’s gone, boss.” 

“Oh.” Dino’s eyes slid open and he stared up at the ceiling for a minute before sitting up and sighing. “Dammit…” Dino let his face fall on his hands. He peered down through his fingers at the bullet-shaped hole in the sheets and felt his dread return. He did not want to face Kyouya until he had a chance to speak to Reborn. But he didn’t want to go speak with Reborn. There was no choice but to do so however. Dino was going to have to get to the bottom of this. He just hoped that whatever Reborn had done wouldn’t end up in his demise.

 

* * *

 

It took a while before Dino was able to mentally prepare himself for this, but when he finally met Reborn and asked, “What, did you _do_?” his voice gave him away—it was an almost desperate whine, one of a man who really didn’t want to hear the answer to his question. 

“Do?” Reborn’s smile was hidden by the shadow of his hat as he finished brewing some coffee. “What do you mean, Dino?” the Arcobaleno asked innocently as he offered Dino a mug full of coffee. 

Dino was not in the mood to play Reborn’s games. “To Kyouya!” Dino answered with an exasperated tone as he made a reluctant grab for the cup. “What did you shoot him with?” he asked him, positive it had been him. 

“Hibari?” Reborn smiled. “I shot him with a special bullet,” he commented nonchalantly, taking a sip from his coffee. It was just like Reborn to not beat around the bush too much. “The Fertility Bullet.” 

Dino was suddenly glad he had not drunk the coffee or else he would have spitted it out in an instant. Instead, he just felt faint. “F-fer… ** _Fertility_** **_Bullet?_** ” He spluttered in disbelief. That kind of thing just wasn’t possible, right?! But Dino had a feeling that Reborn wasn’t joking about this. _Oh, god._ The blonde squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, _knowing_ that he was going to die very, very soon. Or worse. Castrated. He whimpered. “ _Whyyyyyy?_ ” Dino moaned into his hands, wondering what he had done to Reborn to warrant such a death penalty. “Kyouya’s going to kill me!” 

Reborn took a sip from his coffee. “You were complaining, so I gave you a solution,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He smiled a bit at his older student. “And you are no student of mine if you’ve already accepted death.” He smirked. “We’ve cheated death many times.” 

Dino only groaned. “There’s no way to make a deal with _this_ devil,” he told him, shivering as he tried to think of how in the world he was going to explain this to Kyouya. 

Reborn smiled. “I’m sure things will be alright as long as you deliver the news carefully,” he said, speaking as though he had nothing to do with it. 

“Take responsibility for what you did!” Dino exclaimed in frustration, beginning to feel as if he was still fifteen and under Reborn’s tutelage. He felt a familiar headache coming. 

Reborn let out a small chuckle and merely smirked before taking another sip from his cup. “He’s your lover, and now the mother of your child. It’s your responsibility, Dino,” he said simply. 

The mother of— 

It wasn’t until this very moment that it really hit Dino that Kyouya was, in fact, _pregnant_. 

He was a father. 

The realization made Dino stop short and his eyes widened in shock. He was going to be a _father_. Dino felt the air rush out of his lungs. He could already hear the wailing cries… Would it be a boy or a girl? Would Kyouya… Dino gulped as his mind returned to his earlier thoughts. What would Kyouya say? The blonde bit his lip and began to wish altogether that his partner was here, yet not. 

Reborn smirked slightly, watching Dino. “So, are you going to go back and talk to Hibari now?” Once again, this was another order in disguise. 

Dino gave Reborn a miserable glance. “I have to do it one way or another.” He groaned, shivering at the thought of what his lover was going to do to him when he told him the news. Would he even believe him? 

On his way back, Dino bought hamburgers. 

 

* * *

 

On his way home, Hibari caught one of the guards following him and beat him up without a second thought, not really knowing he was one of Dino’s men. He only thought that this man was following him for some reason and proceeded to bite him to death. As he continued his walk back into his apartment, Hibari began to feel a little bit hungry and yet sick at the same time. Ever since he had left his apartment, he hadn’t felt right. He wondered if Dino was awake yet… For the blonde’s sake, he better be. 

 “Kyouya!” Dino looked up as he heard the door of the apartment open and then shut. There was a nervous expression on his face as he watched his lover come in. “W-welcome home!” Dino stammered out with an edgy grin on his face. “Burgers?” he offered, pointing down at the table where the burgers were already set up. 

Burgers… Yes, Dino knew exactly what was going on and he was scared out of his mind. Hibari walked over and, as if to send a message, slammed his tonfa down on the table before sitting down and grabbing a burger. “What is going on?” he demanded, narrowing his eyes at Dino before taking a bite. 

Dino flinched. “It wasn’t my fault!” was the first thing he said, and then, “Please don’t kill me.” He winced. Then, after taking a deep breath and readying himself to be maimed, Dino confessed in a rush: 

“You’re pregnant.” 

Hibari looked at Dino. He slowly placed the burger back on the plate and continued to stare at him. Then, silently, he pushed himself off his chair and got up to his feet. In a flash, his tonfa were back in his hands and were pressing against the other’s throat. “Do you think this is funny?” Hibari glared at him, his eyes flashing dangerously. “I’ll ask you again. What is going on?” 

Dino was too busy choking and trying not to _die_ as he spluttered, “I’msorryI’m _sorry_ —!” that it took him a few seconds to register his lover’s irritated question. “I’m—you’re— _Reborn_!” He finally managed to spit out as he tried to figure out how to prevent himself from further digging his own grave. There really was no way to explain this aside from the truth however. After shooting his lover a desperately apologetic glance, Dino attempted to explain what had happened in a coherent manner. “I don’t know why he did it,” he said, looking equally as lost for answers. “But he shot you with a Fertility Bullet—really!” he added quickly, hoping the other would believe him. _I’m going to die!_  

Hibari narrowed his eyes. “That baby?” The prefect stared down at Dino for a moment, before deciding that the other was telling the truth. Now, he had something else to clear up. “Did you tell him to do it?” he asked as he pressed his tonfa down on the blonde’s throat even harder. It seemed like something Dino would do since he was so obsessed with Hibari. 

Dino struggled to speak as the pressure on his throat began to get unbearable. Though he was very much capable of pushing the other away, frankly, Dino was too scared to do so, and secretly, he thought he deserved it. Still, when he heard his lover’s question, Dino’s eyes flashed in pain. He felt hurt that his lover would think so little of him and, with a pained grimace, spluttered in indignation. “Of course not!” he exclaimed. 

Hibari caught the other’s expression and narrowed his eyes before pulling back his tonfa. Then, without warning, he let his weapon drop to the floor before punching Dino hard across the cheek with his bare fist. “Get out,” he said in a low voice. “Before I get back into my right mind.” 

Dino fell to the floor with a crash. The impact of the punch had finally managed to throw him off his chair. As he lay on the floor, the blonde gazed up to stare at his lover’s murderous expression. He brought up his hand to touch his bruising cheek as he blinked numbly. Having done his duty of informing Kyouya of the situation, Dino had half a mind to run away—far, far away; but he knew his heart would never let him. Dino had fallen for this violent, sullen boy, and held him so closely to his heart. He had been so sure that they would be torn away because of duty—and now they were having a _baby_. Suddenly, the world stood clear before him and Dino got up on his knees, reaching out to take his lover’s hand tightly in his own as he whispered, “I’m sorry,” and kissed his hand, knowing he was guarantying a beating. But at this point he didn’t care anymore—he never had. “But I won’t leave.” Dino’s face was serious and his eyes intent as he said this, looking as if he had just sealed his soul. 

Hibari looked down at the blonde and frowned. He pulled his hand away and lifted his leg before pressing his foot firmly on Dino’s chest and pushing him back down to the ground. “If you won’t leave, then you’re going to do every single thing I say,” he demanded. “You’ll get me what I want, you’ll do what I want, and you won’t question me. Understand?” Hibari pressed his foot down harder on the blonde’s chest as he spoke. 

Dino couldn’t do anything but nod. He wondered then how his lover had yet to notice that Dino already did everything he could and more to please him. 

Hibari stared down at Dino with a frown for a moment longer before stepping back. He brought up his hand to touch his stomach tentatively then, feeling unnerved now that he knew what was causing all of this. Another wave of nausea washed over him then, and Hibari quickly went to the bathroom and shut the door behind him. The sound of him gagging could be heard from the other side of the door. 

Dino got to his feet quickly as he heard this and followed his lover through the door, ignoring his obvious demand for privacy. The blonde wavered nervously once inside, not sure where to put his hands—he wondered briefly if Kyouya would bite him to death for daring to touch him—but he settled for rubbing soothing circles on the prefect’s back. 

Hibari was surprisingly calmed by Dino’s touch. He made no sign of this however, and pulled away from him once his stomach had calmed. Straightening up, Hibari grabbed some toilet paper and wiped his mouth clean before flushing the toilet. He moved over to the sink and rinsed out his mouth before finally looking at Dino. “I’m going to sleep. Don’t wake me up,” he demanded. Then, he looked as if he wanted to say something else for a moment, but Hibari brushed past Dino without further word as he headed off to bed. 

Dino stared after him, wishing he could hold the other and do something—anything—to make up for this. But he knew that the only thing he could do for now was let Kyouya be. So he did.


	8. Target 07: A Future Mistake

Gokudera’s eyes blinked open as he felt the sun’s warmth peek in through his window and spread across his skin. _Must be Sunday_ , was his first thought as he rolled over to look at the time—and indeed, it was an hour past when his alarm clock usually rang out. The realization made Gokudera want to go back to sleep, but Uri, who had noted his state of awareness, was already walking up to him with a swishing tail. The cat purred as it began to walk circles around him before settling on his chest with his front paws. He leaned in to lick Gokudera’s nose then, which scrunched up at the action. Not wanting to get out of bed yet, Gokudera turned his face away with a quiet groan, but Uri was not one to be ignored. 

“Meow…” Uri began to chew on Gokudera’s shirt, looking hungry. 

Similarly, Gokudera’s own stomach began to growl loudly in an obvious demand to be fed. The smoker let out another protesting groan before reluctantly forcing himself to sit up. He took a moment to stretch and get the kinks out of his muscles before finally standing up. He proceeded to drag his body out of the room then, with Uri quickly following after his steps. But once they passed the door, Gokudera couldn’t help but to stop in his tracks as he stared at the sight before him. 

The Tenth was sleeping, sprawled over the couch with one arm and leg hanging off the side. His blanket lay on top of him in disarray, twisted around his limbs. 

The sight made Gokudera feel guilty. Not only had he caused his boss enough strife over the past few days, but now he had also forced him to sleep out here. _Tenth…_ Gokudera bit his lip. He couldn’t help but to feel a bit frustrated. Ever since his boss had come over to stay at his house, everything had gone wrong. All Gokudera had wanted was to enjoy his time with the Tenth and make him happy—but things just kept happening. _Today will be different,_ Gokudera vowed as he continued onto the kitchen quietly. In an attempt to distract himself from his growing guilt, Gokudera set about getting Uri some food before preparing some for himself. 

It was another twenty minutes before a startled “HIII!” was heard from the living room, followed by a thump and a groan. “Ite-te-te…” Tsuna rubbed the back of his head where he had hit it when he had accidentally rolled off the couch. 

Upon hearing the thump in his living room, Gokudera’s eyes went wide in concern. “Tenth! Are you okay?” Gokudera put the plates he was holding down on the counter and tried to make his way out of the kitchen, but he ended up banging his knee against his fridge as he struggled to avoid tripping over Uri, who’d gotten in front of his path without a care in the world. 

“Aah, I’m alright, Gokudera-kun!” Tsuna called back. He got up and rubbed his head a bit more before heading to the kitchen, only to stop still at the doorway upon seeing the spectacle in front of him. "Um…” Tsuna stifled a smile. “Are _you_ okay, Gokudera-kun?” 

Gokudera nodded and quickly straightened up. As he did so, Uri moved to stand on his hind legs and meowed as he started to paw at Gokudera’s knees. 

Tsuna looked on in amusement, but when he shifted his gaze back up to his friend’s face, his expression became more serious as he remembered yesterday’s events. “So… how are you feeling?” he asked softly, looking down at the floor. 

Gokudera’s smile faded slightly at the question, and he looked down too as he shook his head. “I’m fine, Tenth,” he said, not wanting to particularly broach the subject. “Um, I made breakfast,” Gokudera said, gesturing towards the counter, “but if you want anything else, Tenth, just ask. I’ll get it for you!” Gokudera tried to take a step forward but nearly tripped again as he did so. 

Tsuna laughed slightly before shaking his head. “It’s fine, Gokudera-kun. This looks good!” he said. “Let me help you bring these out,” he continued, and began grabbing the plates on the counter before Gokudera could protest to it. Once they were sitting with their plates in front of them, Tsuna smiled up at his right-hand man gratefully. “Thank you, Gokudera-kun.” 

Gokudera’s face flushed slightly at the praise. “It was nothing, Tenth,” he murmured before turning to his food. 

They ate in silence for a while before Tsuna looked up from his plate to ask, “So, um, is your throat feeling better?" 

Gokudera nodded. “It wasn’t that bad in the first place,” he said, and then he remembered, _fuck, I forgot to call in sick_. “Shit…” he groaned aloud. 

Tsuna frowned slightly. “Yes, it was…” he began to insist, but upon hearing the groan, asked, “What's wrong, Gokudera-kun?” 

“I forgot to call work.” Gokudera sighed and bit his lip as he rushed to think of what excuses he could tell his employer this time. _I am so going to get fired one of these days._  

Tsuna blinked. “Ah… sorry, Gokudera-kun.” He bit his lip, feeling slightly guilty. 

Gokudera shook his head. “No, don’t worry about it, Tenth,” he reassured him, somewhat distractedly. “I’ll just have to call in later to explain.” He sighed again. 

Tsuna sighed as well. “Okay, just… tell me if there’s anything I can do.” 

Gokudera opened his mouth to reassure his boss once more, but he was suddenly distracted by Uri, who had decided that jumping up on his lap was a great idea and was now attempting to get on his shoulder. 

“Uri!” Gokudera reached up to grab the cat before setting it back down on his lap. “You’re really hyper today, aren’t you?” He reached down to play with the kitten, hoping that would keep it distracted, at least until they finished eating. He turned his attention back to the Tenth then, and not wanting to continue on their previous talk, he mustered up a smile and asked, “So, what should we do today, Tenth?” Gokudera wanted this day to go perfectly. He wanted to put behind everything that had happened over the past two days— _well, maybe not everything_ , he thought briefly before squashing that thought. Gokudera hoped that no one ended up interrupting them today. 

“Um, well-” Tsuna began to speak, but he was interrupted by a knock at the door. The brunette blinked and shared a glance with the other, who had immediately scowled at the sound and was now moving to stand up. 

 _Who the hell is it now?_ Gokudera picked up Uri from his lap and set him on the floor before heading for the door with a disgruntled look on his face. He was ready to snap at whoever it was that had decided to bother them, but his anger quickly shifted into both irritation and surprise when he saw who was waiting on the other side of the door. 

“Ah, Yamamoto! …Reborn too!?” Tsuna had followed Gokudera and was now staring at their guests with wide eyes. 

“Hey, guys!” Yamamoto shot them a grin and waved. There was a bag in his hand and Reborn was sitting on his shoulder like usual. “I was on my way here and found the kid on the way, so we decided to walk together.” 

Gokudera felt his eyebrow twitch as he stared at Yamamoto. He already felt annoyed just by listening to his voice. _So much for hanging out with just the Tenth…_ Gokudera resigned himself to the fact that these types of visits were going to become a regular thing. He wished the idiot had never found out what his address was. “What are you doing here now, baseball freak?” he asked, looking disgruntled.  

Yamamoto grinned slightly in response. “Tsuna called me last night and told me your throat was feeling bad, so I brought some tea that helps with sore throats,” he said, showing him the bag. 

Gokudera felt a weird pang in his chest—embarrassment, maybe? He wasn’t sure. “My throat is fine, as I repeatedly told the Tenth.” Gokudera crossed his arms over his chest and looked away with a scowl as that weird feeling began to swell. He wasn’t used to being taking care of and didn’t know how to react to this show of concern. The Tenth was one thing… but the baseball idiot too? The back of Gokudera’s neck began to flush slightly. 

As if noticing his owner’s conflicted mood, Uri walked over and began rubbing against Gokudera’s leg as he purred. 

“Hey, who’s this little guy?” As Yamamoto crouched down to pet the cat, Reborn moved to hop off his shoulder and onto the floor. 

Uri paid no attention to the Arcobaleno, but when he saw Yamamoto’s approaching hand, he hissed at him, hair standing on end. Yamamoto’s eyes widened a bit before he pulled his hand back and laughed slightly. “I guess he doesn't like me.” 

Gokudera blinked in surprise. This was the first time he’d seen Uri act hostile towards someone. He couldn’t help but to be amused that his cat had reacted so negatively towards Yamamoto, of all people. “Heh, good boy~” He couldn’t help but to coo at it meanly. 

Yamamoto looked at Gokudera for a moment before standing up. As usual, the smile on his face did not falter. “Why don’t I go make some of the tea for you, Gokudera?” he offered, before walking past the silver-haired and towards the kitchen. 

Tsuna frowned slightly as he watched him go and wondered if he should scold Gokudera, but his attention was immediately diverted at the sound of a familiarly obnoxious laugh that was coming from outside. 

“PWAHAHAHAHA! LAMBO-SAN FOLLOWED REBORN HERE AND NOW REBORN WILL DIE!” Lambo announced happily as he pulled out a grenade, looking ready to pounce. 

But before Lambo could pull out the pin, or even think about coming in to the apartment, Reborn proceeded to kick Lambo in the face. The five-year-old flew hard into the wall of the veranda, leaving a few cracks along the plaster. 

“Gotta… Stay… Calm… WHAAAAAAA!” Lambo began to wail loudly, crying and sniffling, and as usual, he pulled out the Ten Year Bazooka on instinct. But before Lambo could climb into it to hide, he tripped and the bazooka fell out of his grip and onto the floor, from where it bounced away and headed straight for Tsuna… 

“AH!” Tsuna’s eyes widened in shock. A moment later, a big pink puff of smoke covered the spot where the brunette had previously been standing. 

Everything happened too quickly. Gokudera barely had a chance to snarl a “You idiotic cow!” before his boss disappeared under the cover of the smoke. “Tenth!” he cried out, before actually realizing what exactly Tsuna had been hit with. He froze as it hit him then. His heart hammered in anticipation as he wondered what his boss would look like ten years from now. 

Reborn was also pretty silent, secretly anxious to see the result of his training. 

Finally, the smoke cleared to reveal a twenty-five-year-old Tsuna. It was clearly him, though his features had matured. His hair was still the same, brown and spiky, but he was dressed in an expensive-looking three-piece Italian suit, black, with a white shirt underneath, and a red tie to top it off. He had a briefcase in one hand and his other was raised as if he was checking the time. Adult Tsuna blinked once and looked around before focusing his sight on Gokudera. “Hayato? Is that you?” His voice sounded a bit deeper and mature when he spoke. 

Gokudera gaped and struggled to speak. His heart pounded hard against his chest and a resonating feeling of admiration—pride, amazement, happiness—burst inside of him when he saw what the man he had sworn to follow for the rest of his life had become. Heat gathered in his cheeks just by being in this man’s presence—and then Gokudera’s heartbeat stopped still when he heard his name—his _first_ name—being uttered with such affection. Gokudera felt so entirely pleased about this that he almost forgot how to breathe. It was only due to Uri, who had stopped rubbing against him and was trying to climb up his pants again, that Gokudera was brought back to reality. “Ouch!” he exclaimed unthinkingly as Uri’s nails dug into his skin in an attempt to climb up his leg. 

Adult Tsuna laughed slightly at this. “I guess I got hit with the Ten Year Bazooka, huh?” he mused, before crouching down and smiling at Uri. “You grow up to be a big and healthy cat, Uri, so keep eating well,” he said, petting the kitten that was still clinging to Gokudera’s pants. Uri purred happily in answer and Tsuna chuckled before straightening up. That’s when he spotted Reborn. “Ah… Reborn!” Tsuna’s eyes widened slightly before he smiled softly. “It’s nice to see you.” 

Reborn smiled in return. “I assume everything is well?” 

Tsuna looked down for a moment, a conflicted emotion flashing in his eyes for an instant. But then it was gone, and the brunette was looking up again with a smile on his lips. “Yeah,” he agreed noncommittally. “I was just on my way to meet with the Millefiore Family.” 

Though Gokudera still couldn’t get over his awe and was trying not to flail in embarrassment, he also couldn’t help but to fall to his usual routine and began bowing deeply. “I’m sorry, Tenth! I let this stupid cow disturb you when you were in the middle of something important!” he apologized, looking to the floor as his hand darted out to grab the crying little brat so he could grind his head to the floor. 

“WHAAA!! TSUNAAA! HELP ME!!” Lambo flailed and began to sob louder. 

“Hayato! Stop it!” Adult Tsuna frowned slightly as he leaned over to take Lambo, who wouldn’t calm down no matter how much Tsuna tried. A nostalgic expression crossed the brunette’s face then and he sighed before moving to set the five-year-old down on the floor. “Anyway, it’s alright,” he said, running a hand through his hair as he turned his attention back to Gokudera. “It’s only for five minutes anyway. I can afford that much time.” He smiled. 

Gokudera felt himself flush brightly when he heard his name being uttered by the Tenth’s lips once more. “Please forgive me anyway, Tenth!” he rushed to say again, his voice coming out in a small squeak. Gokudera wondered about the future then, and about what Adult Lambo had told him. His heart hammered loudly as he remembered the other’s words: “ _You are the Young Vongola’s right-hand man._ ” Gokudera almost beamed at the reminder. 

Adult Tsuna chuckled slightly and smiled. “You haven’t changed a bit,” he said in an almost fond tone. 

“Oh, Tsuna? Is that you?” Yamamoto emerged from the kitchen then with a cup of tea in his hand. 

“Yamamoto!” Tsuna’s eyes widened with pleasant surprise as he turned to look at the baseball player. 

Yamamoto grinned. “Oi, Tsuna. That’s a nice outfit. Are you wearing stilts under there?” he asked with a laugh. 

Tsuna chuckled. 

Gokudera’s wide grin was unable to be fazed by Yamamoto’s idiotic comment. No, his elation soared high when he heard the idiot’s name being spoken, because it was not _Takeshi_ but plain old Yamamoto. 

Oblivious to his friend’s reactions, Yamamoto moved closer to Gokudera and offered him the cup in his hands. “Here, Gokudera. You should drink,” he said. “So your throat can feel better.” 

Tsuna took a moment to recall this day, before turning to look back to Gokudera as well. “Ah, yeah.” He smiled slightly. “Go on, Gokudera-kun, drink it.” 

“My throat is _fine_ ,” Gokudera grumbled in exasperation. He scrunched up his nose, displeased, in Yamamoto’s direction. But at his boss’ words, he reached for the cup without further protest. He pushed back the disappointment that sank down in his stomach as the Tenth reverted back to calling him by his last name, and took a sip from the tea. It tasted surprisingly sweet. _Really good_ , he thought as he licked his lips and set the cup down next to one of his ash trays. Not that he would tell that idiot that though. 

Uri took this moment to jump up to Gokudera’s chest, having yet to give up his quest to climb back up to Gokudera’s shoulders. 

Gokudera rolled his eyes in exasperation. He moved to dislodge Uri’s claws off his shirt before turning to hold the cat’s squirming body against his torso. “Is he always like this?” he asked, because he heard the Tenth saying it would grow big and Gokudera had to know if he had to break Uri out of this habit before it was too late. 

Tsuna chuckled slightly. “Actually, you gave up. Uri spends most of his time across your shoulders.” He laughed slightly. “Not to mention you spoil him to bits. It’s actually kind of cute.” 

“N-no way!” Gokudera wondered if it was healthy to blush this much—he couldn’t help it though, the Tenth had called him _cute!_ Trying to ignore the growing heat in his cheeks, Gokudera looked down at his unruly cat with a mock frown. He could hardly imagine himself walking around with Uri on his shoulders—he had an image to maintain! 

But as he frowned down at the cat, Uri looked up at him and meowed. His tail swished slightly as he looked at his owner with wide innocent eyes and tilted his head. 

Tsuna smiled at this, already knowing the outcome. Poor Gokudera. 

Gokudera melted, of course, though he tried to resist. He reached up to rub Uri’s head gently, his eyes softening as a breathtaking smile blossomed on his lips, one that he rarely showed. 

Uri purred and nuzzled his head against Gokudera’s hand. 

A blush rose over both Tsuna's and Yamamoto’s cheeks as they laid eyes on the scene. Yamamoto couldn’t bring himself to act as his usual self and break the wonderful smile he was rarely privileged to see. 

Gokudera’s embarrassment only rose as he noticed the burning stares. He felt his face heat up even more and tried his best to think of something to switch the topic to. He wondered then how much time had passed already. It felt like it had been a while already. Knowing his time with his ten-year-older boss was about to run out soon, Gokudera quickly turned to ask, “Ah, that’s right, Tenth. Could you tell us more about the future?” His talk with Adult Lambo yesterday had been the first time it had occurred Gokudera to ask such a question. He wondered why they hadn’t thought to before—and then he remembered Bianchi was usually chasing the cow off. Gokudera inwardly blanched at the thought of her. 

Adult Tsuna blinked at the question. “I don’t think I can tell you anything important.” He frowned thoughtfully. 

Reborn nodded in agreement. “You will most likely cause the future to change if you know too much,” the Arcobaleno confirmed. 

Tsuna checked the time and frowned slightly. “It’s been more than five minutes…” he murmured, slightly uneasy. 

Gokudera’s eyes immediately darted towards that damn cow with a mixture of anger and unease. He felt his body tense again as he began to panic slightly—because, as much as this handsome, confident Adult Tsuna made him blush and stammer, Gokudera could not help but to grow alarmed as he remembered how long it had taken **_him_** to turn back to normal when he had been hit with that dammed faulty bazooka. Gokudera frowned. “If you’re stuck here…” he began, as if testing the words, “then the Tenth’s younger self is also stuck in the future, right?” _And with an Adult me_ , Gokudera assured himself. Safe. Out of harm. 

He hoped. 

Adult Tsuna nodded. “Most probably… But I—I mean, _he_ should be safe. We were in the car and I was talking to you, Gokudera-kun, so I’m sure my younger self is perfectly fine," he said, and recalled the last conversation he had been having with his Storm Guardian. Gokudera had wanted to come with him to the meeting, but Tsuna had continued to remind him that as the boss, Tsuna was supposed to go alone. The other boss would be doing the same… 

“Oh.” Gokudera sighed with relief. He felt more reassured, and he couldn’t help but to grin in pride at his boss’ words then. He wanted to question him more, but remembering his guests, he turned to Reborn and asked, “Oh, yeah. Why did you come over today, Reborn-san?” 

“To check up on my idiot apprentice. But seeing as the Tsuna I wanted to check up on isn’t here, I’ll be going,” Reborn said, before he headed off, not offering any advice on the current predicament. He went into the elevator hidden in Gokudera’s wall. 

Yamamoto laughed. “You made that for him, Gokudera?” he asked with a grin. 

“Of course not, you idiot!” Gokudera replied with a huff, which turned into a grunt of pain as he felt something land in his head. 

“PWAHAHAHAHA!! The great Lambo-san has recovered!!” The five-year-old was no longer bawling, but instead laughed boisterously as he stood proudly on top of Gokudera’s head. He quickly jumped off as he saw Gokudera swipe at him. 

“You stupid cow! Stay still so I can pound you!” Gokudera growled. 

“NYAHAHA! You’ll never catch me!” Lambo stuck out his tongue at him before jumping away once more. He reached into his hair then to take out a pair of pink grenades. “Now, Reborn! D-…Eh? Where’d Reborn go?” He looked around in confusion. 

Tsuna chuckled slightly and reached out a hand to stop Gokudera in his path. “He went home,” Tsuna informed the five-year-old, quirking his lips at the pair’s antics. 

“YOU WON’T GET AWAY, REBORN!!!” Lambo shouted and hopped off the couch he was standing on before running out of the apartment. 

Yamamoto blinked. “Aah, there they go again.” He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. “I should walk him home. I’ll be back later. See you, Tsuna, Gokudera,” he said, waving back at them as he headed after Lambo. 

Gokudera blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected everyone to leave so quickly, especially that baseball freak who, Gokudera secretly thought, took an immense pleasure in making his life a living hell whenever he could (or that’s how Gokudera saw it anyway). He felt a little awkward now though, standing in the middle of the room with a playful Uri squirming against him, and his eyes unable to look at the Tenth straight in the face. With everyone gone, Gokudera could not help but to revert back to his self-conscious behavior, and he felt that any progress he had made over the past two days was completely nonexistent. “Please sit down, Tenth!” He tried not to flail as he offered the brunette a seat. He wondered if he would still be living in this apartment in ten years. Would they be back in Italy, if not? 

“Oh, thank you, Hayato.” Tsuna smiled, reverting calling him by his first name since Yamamoto wasn’t there anymore. He sat down in the chair before he nudged one away from the table. “You should sit too. It seems like the only thing we can do is wait until things go back to normal.” 

Gokudera felt his toes curl at the affection in the Tenth’s voice. He moved to sit down after a moment’s hesitation, but once he had done so, he couldn’t help but to begin fidgeting. He felt nervous for some reason he couldn’t pinpoint. 

 _Tenth…_  

Gokudera hoped his boss would return soon… But now that this older version of his boss was here, he couldn’t help but to want to continue the conversation he had started with Adult Lambo before. Even though Gokudera had decided to put all of this behind him, in the end, he couldn’t help but to want to ask how their relationship was in the future. It was embarrassing but… 

The curiosity and uncertainty of it all was killing him. 

“U-um. Tenth…?” 

Tsuna was a bit lost in thought, looking around at the apartment he was sitting in. It had been years since he’d sat there. The Family had long since moved to Italy, and sitting there again brought up a surge of nostalgia. But when he heard the hesitant voice of his younger right-hand man, Tsuna looked at him and smiled kindly. “Yes, Hayato?” 

“Ah…” Gokudera couldn’t bring himself to say the words. He felt his face begin to heat up slightly as he forced himself to speak. “I, um, I wanted to ask… how things are b-between us, in the future.” Gokudera bit his lip and stared down at his knees nervously. 

“Between us?” Tsuna looked at Gokudera, still smiling, though he was a bit confused at his question. “Well, we’re great. Everything is normal between us, if you can call what we do normal.” He let out a small tired sounding laugh that resembled the present Tsuna more than ever. 

While Gokudera was glad to hear that things were fine between them… that wasn’t exactly what he meant. He struggled to say what was on his mind. “Ah, but… what I wanted to know is… what type of r-relationship the Tenth and I have in the future,” Gokudera mumbled. 

Tsuna tilted his head slightly, and that’s when it dawned on him what exactly the silver-haired teen meant by “relationship.” He smiled at the thought. “Oh, I see.” He flushed ever so slightly. “Well, that’s going great, too. I don’t really remember what you guys and my younger self are doing right now, but… The three of us are…” Tsuna smiled a bit wider. “Well, it’s just nice to have you and Takeshi so close.” 

Gokudera’s head snapped up. For a moment, he tried to convince himself that the Tenth only meant that the three had become great friends. But there was no mistaking that expression on his boss face. He also didn’t miss the way his boss had reverted back to calling that idiot by his first name. 

_No way!_

Gokudera stared wide-eyed at the other for a moment, but he was still in denial so he tried to make light of this. “Hahaha…” he stammered. “Good one, Tenth!” he said, and made sure to avert his gaze. “Me, close to that idiot? As if that would ever happen!” 

Tsuna’s smile fell at Gokudera’s laugh. His eyes lost their mirth, and he stared at Gokudera with a searching look. Gokudera really did change. He changed a lot. “Well, it has,” he said softly, placing his briefcase on the desk. He rubbed his thumb over the handle for a moment, wondering if he should leave it there, before deciding it was fine. He twined his fingers together in his lap, and looked at Gokudera. “He tries his best for you, you know. Takeshi, I mean.” 

Gokudera winced and looked down at his lap. He couldn’t help but to feel like a child being scolded. He knew the Tenth was right. He’d known, but even so, Gokudera was trying his best to forget the warm feeling he had gotten when Yamamoto had brought him the tea. He pushed away the memory of Yamamoto reprimanding him, reminding him that the Tenth wasn’t the only one that cared. He pushed away the memory—the dream of the baseball player’s haunting heavy words. “I… I don’t care about what that idiot thinks,” he insisted forcefully. “T-the only one who matters… is you, Tenth,” Gokudera whispered, closing his eyes as his hands clutched the cloth of his pants. 

Tsuna looked to the side, sighing. His posture loosened up a bit as his cheeks flushed. He looked at Gokudera now. This small Gokudera. He was so different and yet so similar. “You can’t only have me.” He reached forward and placed a hand on Gokudera’s. “You have to live for you, too, you know.” 

“Tenth…” Gokudera felt the warmth of his boss’ hand on his own and couldn’t help but to glance up to look at him. His boss’ words made something in his chest ache, and his gaze felt as if it was looking right through him. 

Tsuna closed his fingers around Gokudera’s hand and held it gently. “Give him a chance. He already does so much for you. Imagine what would happen if you opened your mind…” he said softly, encouragingly. He looked down at Gokudera’s hand then, his gaze lingering on the Vongola Ring on his finger. His thumb stretched out to stroke the cool metal for a moment, before stilling in place. Tsuna began to pull back. “But it is your choice in the end,” he finished quietly, turning his gaze back up to look at Gokudera’s wide green eyes. The silver-haired teen’s expression made Tsuna smile. “I know you’ll make me proud, Hayato,” he said. 

Gokudera had never felt so conflicted before. He didn’t know what to think or feel. He had known for a while now that his attitude towards others, not just Yamamoto, wasn’t right. He knew he had to change. He was just… hesitant. Scared. He still wasn’t even sure how to deal with the fact that that Yamamoto _liked_ him like that, but… for the Tenth, Gokudera was going to try to deal with it. The memory of that picture resurfaced at that moment. Gokudera couldn’t believe how happy they had all looked together. Could he really accept all of this? 

Gokudera opened his mouth, not sure of what he was about to say or promise, but he knew that at this moment, everything was about to change. He was going to change. “Tenth, I—!” 

A giant puff of pink smoke interrupted Gokudera’s words, signaling the present Tsuna’s return. But as the smoke faded, it revealed a morbid sight. Tsuna was kneeling on the floor, his eyes wide and ghastly as he gripped his left shoulder. Blood was spreading rapidly through his shirt and covering his fingers. He opened his mouth and took in a rattled breath, before looking down at his shoulder. His body started to shake. 

“T-TENTH?!” At the sight of his boss, a switch immediately flipped. Gokudera was instantly on his knees, ripping at the Tenth’s shirt and panicking over the other’s shoulder with a frightened look on his face. The wound didn’t look drastic, Gokudera faintly noted, but that didn’t mean anything to him at that moment because his boss was _bleeding all over his floor_. “W-what happened?!” Gokudera pressed on the wound helplessly, trying to control his stuttering heart, trying to _stay calm,_ but he knew that was a lost battle. So instead, he scrambled to take out his phone, called an ambulance, and then Reborn-san. _Where the **fuck** was I?! _ He thought as he did so. _Wasn’t I supposed to be protecting him?!_ Gokudera closed his eyes against the overwhelming feeling of failure and self-loathing that coursed through him. “Dammit!” he hissed. “Hold on, Tenth!” he whispered to him, doing his best to sound reassuring. “You’ll be fine!” 

“G-Gokudera-kun, I-I’m going… It was all a trick… I’m going to die!!” Tsuna gripped Gokudera’s shirt, slipping into panic. “It was supposed to be a peaceful meeting, but they set it all up! They’re going to kill me!!” he cried, tears running from his wide fearful eyes, splattering down his cheeks like bloodstains. “I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, _I don’t want to die!_ " He sobbed, shaking on the floor horribly as his body started going into shock. 

Gokudera felt his heart break at the words, and he took the other boy into his arms, gripping on to him as tight as he could without irritating the wound. “I won’t let you!” he swore, fiercely. He couldn’t help but to bury his face in the other’s hair, needing to be closer—and for a moment, he imagined his older counterpart doing the same then, but the thought was gone before it even began because Gokudera _would not allow this to happen_. Though his hands were shaking and his voice was rough with emotion, Gokudera swore again, his voice serious and promising and full of rage, because he was certain he would _kill_ anyone who got in his way. 

“I won't let you die!” he vowed, and clutched the other tighter.


	9. Target 08: His Choice

The paramedics allowed Gokudera to ride with them. He was kept in the corner as an oxygen mask was placed over Tsuna's mouth and nose. Gokudera was questioned about the circumstances of Tsuna's injury and ordered to call an adult. His attention, though, was quickly diverted as Tsuna fell into shock once more. 

Once at the hospital, Gokudera was made to stay in the waiting room as they wheeled Tsuna away. He stared after his boss until the moment he was gone with a feeling of helplessness before turning to pace anxiously around the room. 

 _Tenth, please be okay._

After a few more minutes, Gokudera finally gave in and let himself sit down. He took out his phone then and stared down at it blankly. He wondered then how the fuck to tell the Tenth’s Mother that her Tsuna ( _ours, mine_ ) was in the hospital, shot, because Gokudera hadn’t been able to protect him. He turned the phone in his hands uneasily and let out a loud sigh. His thoughts turned to who else he needed to call. Had Reborn-san called Yamamoto yet? Should he? Gokudera was halfway considering calling his sister at this point. He felt restless. 

 _Tenth…_  

"Gokudera!" 

As if Gokudera's thoughts had summoned him, Yamamoto showed up, with his father right behind him. Yamamoto came running over as Tsuyoshi lingered by the front desk to speak with the receptionist. 

"What happened?" Yamamoto's usual smile was nowhere to be found, his eyebrows knotted in worry as he addressed Gokudera. "The kid called me. He said you told him that Tsuna got shot... Is that true?" 

Gokudera couldn’t quite feel the words in his throat, so he nodded instead. He was struggling to breathe right, he noticed. “It was—an assassination attempt,” he finally managed to say after much effort. His fists clenched at the cloth of his pants in frustration and fear. “He came back from the future—shot,” he spat angrily, mostly at himself. 

Yamamoto looked at him with a frown. "What…? What are you talking about, assassination…?" he whispered uneasily, shaking his head. "This is… No, Tsuna never did anything wrong. Why would anyone want to kill him? This is going way too far, Gokudera!" Yamamoto put his hand over his eyes, shaking his head. This was... impossible. 

Something snapped inside Gokudera upon hearing that response. Within moments, Gokudera was gripping Yamamoto’s shirt tightly in his fists and bringing the other close with a violent pull. “We are **Mafia** ,” he whispered roughly into his ear, his words a sharp hiss. But for once, for once, Gokudera wished they weren’t, because Tsuna _didn’t deserve this_. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to forget the _blood—_ Tsuna crying against him and wailing, “ _I don’t want to die!_ ” _—_ as he forced himself to continue his speech. 

“This isn’t a game, Yamamoto; it’s never been,” he said, because he wanted Yamamoto to wake up and realize it already. 

Yamamoto's eyes widened at the other's words before he looked down. Even Yamamoto had had his suspicions, but he had wanted it to be nothing more than a game... He had so many things he wanted to do... but his friends needed him. Right where he was. "I understand..." Yamamoto's voice was barely above a whisper, his hair shadowing over his eyes. It was here, in this moment, that Yamamoto had to give up all of his dreams for the future and faced the path that he had no intention of ever walking off of. 

Gokudera’s grip on the other loosened, and he felt something like regret thrumming beneath his fingertips. He licked his lips, and hesitantly said, “We’ll be alright,” meaning it. This was probably the only chance he’d let himself do so but after a moment Gokudera squeezed Yamamoto’s arm comfortingly (knowing what this was costing him—all of them) before turning away in the direction of the balcony, reaching for the cigarettes he had been denying himself for the past hour. 

He needed to see Tsuna. 

Yamamoto remained in the waiting room alone until his father joined him. Tsuyoshi looked tired and concerned, but he merely laid a comforting hand on his son’s shoulder without asking any questions. 

The three waited in silence. 

It was about another half hour before a doctor came forward. “Friends or family of Sawada Tsunayoshi?” 

Yamamoto and his father immediately stood up. The Rain Guardian looked around to see where Gokudera went. 

Gokudera was already walking back in, hands in his pockets. There was an unreadable frown on his face. He ran a hand through his hair before spotting the doctor and rushing over. “How is he?” he asked, trying not to trip over his words, and sharing a brief glance with Yamamoto. 

"He's regained consciousness and seems to be recovering well. But he's very scared. If you want to go visit him, you cannot overexert him, for Sawada-san's wellbeing. Do you understand?" The doctor looked pointedly at the two teens. They nodded. The doctor then turned and began leading them to Tsuna's room. 

Inside, Tsuna was sitting up back against the headboard, talking with Reborn. The baby was holding up a picture and Tsuna looked at it before nodding stiffly. "Yes, that's him," he muttered and Reborn nodded before looking back at the boys who entered. Reborn stood up from the very familiar briefcase, opening it up and placing the photo of what looked like a white-haired man into the case. 

"We'll talk again in the morning, Tsuna." Reborn shut the case and looked at the boy who nodded again. Reborn carried the briefcase and hopped off the bed. 

"Ciaossu," Reborn said in greeting to everyone as he headed out of the room. Tsuna smiled weakly at them but stayed silent. 

Gokudera paid little mind to the conversation they had interrupted as he was much too focused drinking in the image of his boss. He felt so relieved to see him safe and alive. The tension and fear he had been feeling melted away in an instant. “Tenth!” Gokudera hurried to Tsuna’s side. “How are you? Are you okay?” 

"I... I'm feeling a lot better, Gokudera-kun..." Tsuna spoke softly, directing a feeble smile to his right-hand man. He glanced at Yamamoto hesitantly, unsure about what he'd been told of the situation. The sight of Yamamoto’s father lingering in the doorway made Tsuna hesitant to speak. Luckily, the doctor called Tsuyoshi out to talk then. 

The moment the close door behind him, Yamamoto stepped forward and didn’t miss a beat. "Gokudera told me," he said to Tsuna and made sure to have a reassuring smile at his lips. 

Tsuna's eyes widened in realization and he looked between Gokudera and Yamamoto. Their expression said everything he needed to know. He frowned. "You know that you don't have to do this, Yamamoto..." he murmured, looking conflicted. 

But Yamamoto shook his head and merely grinned. “I’ve gone in this far. I was never a quitter.” 

Tsuna's fingers curled lightly in the blankets and looked down, unable to look at Yamamoto for long. He nodded softly and didn't look in the mood to speak. 

 “I’m sorry, Tenth,” Gokudera sighed quietly. He still felt a little regretful for finally bringing in Yamamoto into all of this. But it had to happen at some point… even though a small part of him was beginning to wish it wouldn’t. 

His previous feeling of helplessness resurfaced at this moment but he pushed it back as much as he could. After all, Gokudera had always known that Mafia life would not be easy, even if they were still young now and in training. But now more than ever, he felt the need to protect the Tenth. He wanted— _needed_ —to become stronger so this wouldn’t ever happen again. Gokudera vowed to himself then to do everything that was in his power to get stronger. He had to protect the Tenth. He wasn’t going to let Tsuna get hurt ever again. 

With that resolution now made, Gokudera took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down and focus on what was important for now. “Tenth,” He smiled up at him, going for reassuring and concerned. “Is there anything I can get you?” His hands twitched, itching for something to do. He needed to be helpful. 

“Or anyone?” Yamamoto pitched in as well. “The doctor’s just outside,” he reminded him. The baseball player was clearly worried, even if he was doing his best to put on a cheery front. 

Tsuna shook his head but stopped quickly as it made him dizzy. "N-No. I'm fine, guys…" he said quietly. 

“Please be careful, Tenth,” Gokudera called out concernedly, frowning as he noticed that his boss was beginning to grow pale. Not knowing what else to do with himself he sat down on the stool near the Tenth’s bed and began fiddling with his hands. 

Tsuna looked at Gokudera and put a hand on his. "It’s okay, Gokudera-kun. I'm okay now. Please relax…" He mustered up a smile, looking at Gokudera worriedly. He didn't like seeing him on edge like this. 

Gokudera twitched slightly, startled by the touch. He glanced up at him for a moment before turning to look at their hands. 

“Sorry, Tenth, but I…” He bit his lip. “I can’t,” he murmured, shifting his hands to entrap the other’s hands between his own. Gokudera wanted nothing more than to bring the Tenth’s hands to his lips. He wanted to clutch at him tightly because _he could’ve died_ back then, and where would that leave Gokudera? 

Tsuna took a deep breath and frowned a bit. 

"You should rest, Tsuna." Yamamoto cut in. He had a feeling Gokudera would end up stressing the brunette out if this kept up. "We don't want you to get any worse." 

Tsuna glanced at Yamamoto and nodded before turning to look back at Gokudera, who’s expression was encouraging. After a moment’s hesitance, he moved to comply, but he still didn't let go of Gokudera’s hand. Suddenly, he realized how scared he felt at the thought of being left alone. He tightened his grip on the other’s hands then, and though Tsuna didn’t open his eyes again, he whispered three quiet words to the other "Stay with me..." 

Gokudera’s hands tightened their hold. _Always,_ he promised silently. 

The two watched quietly as their friend drifted off to sleep. Gokudera’s face was stoic with worry, and Yamamoto’s own expression was beginning to shift back to the serious look it had developed before they stepped inside the room. 

Still, Gokudera couldn’t help but to relax slightly as he watched his boss breathe easily in his sleep. He felt reassured once again at the fact that Tsuna was safe and alive. 

At the same time, the silence in the room was beginning to feel stifling. Gokudera felt uncomfortable by Yamamoto’s silence. A quick look at the other’s expression made his stomach clench in worry. The idiot looked tired and drained as he lingered there, standing in silence by the door. 

Gokudera tried not to seem too concerned. He almost berated himself for focusing his attention on anyone who wasn’t the Tenth—but suddenly, it was hard not to remember the Future Tenth’s words. 

 _“He tries his best to look out for you, you know.”_

_“Give him a chance."_

_“I know you’ll make me proud, Hayato."_  

“Idiot.” Gokudera’s voice was a rough whisper. “Sit down already, will you? You’ll make him worry,” he said, and made sure not to look at the other. 

Yamamoto smiled slightly, but there was a bitter sadness to it. "Sorry," he said, getting closer and pulling a chair over. He sat about a foot away from Gokudera, next to Tsuna's bed. He sighed slightly and looked at Tsuna’s sleeping form. His smile faded at the sight. His old man was going to ask questions... and what about Tsuna's family? Tsuna had gotten shot. This couldn't be passed off as an accident... 

Gokudera frowned as he watched Yamamoto from the corner of this eye. He wondered if he had been too harsh earlier. He bit his lip in frustration, remembering their talk. _If only I hadn’t gotten so worked up_ , Gokudera thought, feeling surprisingly guilty about the whole thing. Hadn’t he wanted Yamamoto to finally wake up and realize the truth? 

 He had thought so. 

"Gokudera. Do you mind if I stay here with you in Tsuna's room?" Yamamoto asked, looking at him. "My old man’s going to be asking a lot of questions if I go home," he explained quietly, with another humorless smile on his face. 

 “D-do what you want,” Gokudera muttered, biting his lip in worry. _Just stop making that expression!_ He scowled, beginning to feel irritated for a reason he couldn’t pinpoint. 

"Alright. Thanks. Are you hungry? Should I bring something to eat?" Yamamoto asked, his tone light, but it was clear he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. The baseball player was restless and it was obvious he was merely looking for something to do. 

“Whatever,” Gokudera mumbled noncommittally and watched him go. 

It was the beginning of a long night. 

The two spent hours lingering in the hospital room. Thanks to the medication, Tsuna continued to sleep quite soundly throughout the night, but Gokudera and Yamamoto could barely sleep a wink. Yamamoto mostly sat in the corner of the room, near the window. The only movement he made was occasionally pulling up the curtains, scanning the night, and drawing the curtains once more. It was only by about five in the morning before Yamamoto finally dozed off. 

It was annoying not to say anything about Yamamoto’s stirrings. But the guilt that kept nagging Gokudera prevented him from doing anything about it. Not that he could really say anything about it, considering that he barely slept that night as well. He was surprised they had been able to stay overnight, but Reborn-san probably had something to do with that, Gokudera mused. 

Night turned to morning, and it wasn’t long before Yamamoto’s dad popped in the room. Gokudera pretended to be sound asleep, not wanting to attract the older man’s attention. 

Tsuyoshi frowned at the bags under his son’s eyes but regretfully moved to wake him up. “Takeshi, it’s time to go,” he murmured quietly, shaking him a bit. 

Yamamoto had only slept for about an hour before he was woken up by his father. It took a few moments before he looked up at his dad, mildly confused, before he checked his watch. He registered the time and realized that he had morning baseball practice. "Ah... alright..." he said, standing up and looking over at the sleeping Gokudera and Tsuna. He didn’t want to leave… but he would have to resign himself and come back right after afternoon practice. With a tired yawn, Yamamoto turned away and walked out of the room, with his old man at his heels. 

Once Gokudera was sure they were gone, he sat back up and stared over his slumbering boss. He wasn’t really thinking about going to school—there was no need to, not if the Tenth wasn’t going to be there. Still, Gokudera couldn’t help but to be concerned. He hoped the baseball idiot didn’t overwork himself at school.

 

* * *

 

It was while Hibari was getting ready for school that Dino heard about it. “He was **_what!?_** ” he yelled into his phone, eyes wide and panicked. “What do you mean Tsuna was shot?! By who?!” he demanded to know. 

Hibari continued getting ready, listening to Dino's side of the conversation. ...Who was Tsuna again? 

"It’s as I said, Dino," Reborn said in a very calm voice as he spoke into his Leon phone from Tsuna’s room. "He was shot by someone in the future after being sent there by the Ten Year Bazooka." 

Dino gave out a frustrated sigh. “It’s never really crossed my mind before, but that Bazooka is goddamn dangerous,” he muttered. “What hospital is Tsuna staying at?” he asked, wanting to see his little brother’s state with his own eyes. 

Reborn told Dino the address of the hospital before he bid farewell and hung up. 

Hibari finished getting ready and began to make some breakfast. "Going somewhere?" 

“Hospital.” Dino sighed, plopping down on a chair and leaning on the table, feeling suddenly exhausted. He watched Kyouya cook distractedly, his frown never leaving his face. 

"Hm." Hibari just gave a small grunt before he served the omelet he made onto two plates. He put one in front of Dino and sat with the other one before he began eating. "Did something happen to a subordinate of yours?" 

Dino shook his head, playing with the food in his plate. “It’s my little brother…” he sighed, so preoccupied that it slipped his mind that he had mentioned Tsuna’s name earlier. 

Hibari looked at Dino with a small frown. "He was shot? Where?" Hibari grew a little tense. A student from his school... Who would dare? 

“We don’t know who did it….at least Reborn doesn’t seem to know I think.” Dino wondered momentarily if Kyouya knew about the Ten Year Bazooka before deciding it was too troublesome to explain at the moment. He pushed his plate away, suddenly not in the mood to eat. There was so much on his mind… He gave Kyouya a concerned glance. “How are you feeling this morning?” he asked, already doing a mental checklist of sending Romario himself after Kyouya today. 

Hibari looked at his food and continued to eat.  “I’m perfectly fine,” Hibari said indifferently. His mind, though, began wandering to school-related matters. He’d have to keep a sharp eye out on everything. He’d have to inform Kusakabe that a student of theirs was currently in the hospital as well. 

Dino gave the other an indulgent glance before sighing. “Don’t overexert yourself today,” he told him, standing up from the chair. He leaned over and caught the other’s lips in a small brief kiss before turning to leave. “See you later then~” 

Hibari let Dino kiss him before he finished eating. He left only a few minutes after Dino did and headed straight for school.

 

* * *

 

 

When Dino arrived at the hospital, he was pleasantly unsurprised to find his little brother’s self-proclaimed right-hand man at Tsuna’s side. He smiled gratefully at the other before turning a worried glance to a now awake Tsuna. “Hey, I heard about what happened,” he said, a small frown on his face. “How are you feeling?” he asked. 

Tsuna had breakfast on his lap and was absently picking at his food when Dino walked in. He was half happy to see him, but the other half didn't want Dino to worry about him. "I'm fine," he told with a small, hesitant smile. "Everything's okay, Dino-san." 

“I’m glad.” Dino’s eyes softened, knowing what Tsuna was feeling. Having been in the Mafia for longer, Dino had found himself in this type of situation more than he’d like to admit. Dino laughed trying to make light of the situation. “Look at you, Tsuna, not even officially named Decimo and you’re already landing yourself in the hospital—not that this was your fault!” Dino immediately backtracked, inwardly kicking himself for being an insensitive idiot. He quickly changed the subject. “Ah, um, so, do you know when you’re getting released from here?” Dino asked as he rubbed the back of his head. 

Tsuna, though, laughed regardless. It hurt his chest a little bit when he did though, the stitches at his shoulder pulling at his skin. He tenderly touched it. "Um... I think tomorrow morning if everything's okay," he said, looking at Dino. "Did Reborn tell you I was here?" 

“Yeah, this morning,” Dino answered, his frown returning as he saw the other grimace slightly in pain. He was surprised to hear Tsuna was going to be let out tomorrow already. “Who else knows?” he asked, wondering if the rest of the Guardians have been told. If it wasn’t for Reborn telling him, he doubted Kyouya would have found out.  

"Well, just Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto. And I guess you now. I'm not sure if Reborn is going to tell anyone else," Tsuna said before his phone rang. He picked it up and looked at the text messages he had just gotten. One was from Kyoko-chan, saying Reborn told her what happened and that she'd come visit afterschool with her brother. There was another similar one from his mom saying that she'd be back home by tomorrow morning so she could pick him up from the hospital. Tsuna frowned slightly, wondering if Reborn told them he had gotten shot or made up some story... 

A moment later, two more text messages popped up. This time from Ryohei and Haru, both having outrageous reactions to his hospitalization. Gokudera scowled at all the stress everyone was suddenly putting on the Tenth, glaring at the phone as if daring it to vibrate again. 

Dino laughed lightly, glad that Tsuna had so many people cared about him. 

Tsuna had been about to put the phone down when it vibrated again with the two new messages. Looking over them, though, Tsuna felt relieved. Happy. He had friends that cared about him and he didn't really need to worry about anything else. Tsuna was in a considerably lighter mood after that as he put his phone down. He actually began to eat, though a moment later, he looked back at Dino, noticing something. "Oh, Dino-san, did you come here alone? Where are your subordinates?" 

At the question, Dino’s face suddenly became nervous. “Oh, they’re… watching over Kyouya at the moment.” The blonde suddenly found his lap very interesting to look at as he tried to gather courage to explain that… well, Kyouya was _pregnant._ He wondered how the others would take it. 

Tsuna blinked. "Watching Hibari-san…?" he repeated, a bit confused. "Why? Did something happen to him?" Even though Hibari-san wasn't his "friend" in the strictest meaning of the word, Tsuna still got a bit worried that Hibari-san of all people had to be watched over.

“No! Well, yes, but…” Dino’s face was slowly becoming redder by the second. “That is, because... Kyouya is… well, he’s…pregnant…” he told them at last, his face utterly red. He peeked a glance at them, awaiting their reactions. 

Gokudera’s eyes widened and he stood up from his chair in shock, wondering if he had heard right. “He’s what?!” he blurted out, feeling from fascinated and curious, to completely and utterly shocked, and even fear. This was after all _Hibari_ , who knew what type of child that person would spawn. 

Tsuna wasn't really thinking about what child would result of this but rather... " _Seriously?_ ” He gaped at the other. “How did that even...?!" Tsuna was dumbfounded, staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed at Dino. 

Dino buried his face into his hands. “Reborn.” He groaned helplessly before explaining the effects of the Fertility Bullet. Needless to say, Gokudera was highly fascinated. 

“I have never even heard that such a thing was possible!” Gokudera mumbled to himself, writing in a notebook he always kept with him in case of any paranormal activities that he might spot. He was going to have to ask Reborn-san more about this later. 

Tsuna listened wondering what the hell else Reborn had hidden up his sleeves. But when Gokudera spoke, Tsuna was halfway horrified. "Why are you taking notes?!" he spluttered before quickly looking at Dino. "I didn't know you and Hibari-san were... Y-You know!" 

“Oh, you didn’t?” Dino smiled sheepishly, scratching at his cheek. “It just sort of happened. You don’t mind, do you?” he asked, glancing at him. 

"E-Eh? Why should I mind!? I mean... It’s not my choice!" Tsuna stammered, his mind still in a jumble from everything the blonde had told him. 

“I’m glad to hear you say that.” Dino grinned, before his eyes discreetly shifted to his little brother’s right-hand man. “Well, I really should get going,” Dino told Tsuna, standing up from his chair. He winked at Tsuna, mouthing “Good luck!” before leaving the room. He would’ve looked very suave about the whole thing if he hadn’t tripped on his way to the door. 

"EH!?" Tsuna almost had a heart attack at this small gesture. He blinked twice when Dino tripped walking out the door. Oh yeah... Tsuna sometimes forgot that Dino was as useless as him when the blonde didn't have his subordinates around. 

"Mm..." Tsuna hummed slightly, wondering if Hibari-san was going to be okay... And what had Dino meant with that wink?! Tsuna found himself blushing. 

Gokudera looked up from his musings at the racket Dino had made while leaving. Noticing the Tenth’s flushed face, Gokudera stopped taking notes and began fussing over him. “I knew it wasn’t a good idea to let him in here! Are you feeling alright, Tenth?” He frowned, leaning closer to check if the other had developed a fever. 

"Huh?" Tsuna blinked before he smiled a bit at Gokudera's fussing. "Yeah, I'm fine, Gokudera-kun…" he said with a slightly awkward smile. He was still in shock by the whole pregnant- Hibari-san thing but he tried his best to put it behind him. After all, it was Reborn they were talking about. When he was involved, anything was possible. Tsuna shuddered slightly at the reminder and decided changing the subject would be a good idea. "Um, so did you sleep well?" Tsuna asked Gokudera. 

“It wasn’t bad.” The bomb-user sidestepped the question. He was still checking for any signs of discomfort on the other’s face. Finding none, he made himself busy, not being able to keep still. “Is there anything you need, Tenth?” he asked, wanting to do something. He picked up the other’s empty plate, putting aside. He felt jittery. 

Of course, Gokudera couldn't act for very long, especially when up against the Vongola Tenth’s Hyper Intuition. "Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said, looking at him. "Are you okay?" he spoke softly, a small frown pulling at his lips. 

“H-huh?” Gokudera looked up from what he was doing. “I’m fine, Tenth, really!” he said, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “It’s just…I feel useless, not being able to do anything right now. It’s…stupid, really.” He smiled humorlessly before shaking his head. “Please don’t worry about it, Tenth.” 

"Gokudera-kun, you shouldn't feel that way. This wasn't your fault." Tsuna frowned unhappily. "You're very special to me and I don't want you to feel bad. Tomorrow, mom's going to pick me up and I'm going to go back home, so there's no need to worry anymore." 

Gokudera’s heart lifted at the Tenth’s words. To be acknowledged in this way… it soothed his anxiousness….but he didn’t deserve it. At his boss’ last words however, his heart couldn’t help but to selfishly clench. The Tenth was leaving… but it’s not like he could have stayed forever (even if Gokudera wanted it to be that way). _Maybe it’s for the best anyway_ , Gokudera thought bitterly. Ever since the Tenth had arrived to his apartment, nothing but misfortune had happened to his boss. Just like everything else that Gokudera tried to do for the Tenth, it just didn’t end up working out. “Oh,” he mumbled softly, not able meet his boss’ eyes. 

Tsuna immediately realized he had said something wrong. "I-it’s just my mom. You know how she is!" He tried to smile but it wouldn't really come. He really had had fun at Gokudera's apartment and for it to be tragically cut short like this... "I'm sorry..." he mumbled dejectedly, looking down and wringing the bed sheets in his hands. 

“T-there’s nothing to apologize about, Tenth!” Gokudera’s grin was noticeably forced. “It would be best for you to recover at your own house—and you should be glad your Mother is coming back home!” he tried to enthuse the other. Gokudera hadn’t wanted to bring down the other’s mood with his own, but he couldn’t help his initial reaction. 

"Yeah." Tsuna looked at Gokudera, noticing that all he was trying to do was lighten his spirits. So Tsuna thought it best to comply. He smiled slightly. "And I'll still have you to protect me so it'll be like nothing's changed. Right?" 

“!” Gokudera’s eyes widened at this statement, his heart swelling. “I’ll do everything in my power to protect you, Tenth!” he assured him, and this time his smile was very real. 

At the sight of Gokudera's happiness, Tsuna’s smile brightened, feeling much better. "I'm counting on you. Gokudera-kun."

 

* * *

 

The day passed swiftly. Before anyone realized it, school was out, and people were beginning to invade Tsuna’s small hospital room. 

“SAWADA!!” Ryohei burst into the room and immediately blocked Gokudera’s incoming fist. 

“You stupid lawnhead, this is a hospital, quiet down!” Gokudera immediately growled. Ryohei ignored him. 

“I heard about what happened! That was EXTREMELY UNLUCKY!” The boxer frowned and began to rant about what he had heard had happened to Tsuna. It looked like the story Reborn had gone with was that Tsuna had unfortunately been in the wrong place at the wrong time and had simply gotten caught in the middle of something that Tsuna would rather not talk about. 

Tsuna looked slightly relieved at the story, but his attention soon diverted from Ryohei as he noted who was standing behind the boxer. 

“Tsuna-kun, are you okay? How do you feel?” Kyoko asked the other worriedly as she walked over and set down a box of chocolates with a get-well card taped to it on a nearby surface. 

Tsuna blushed slightly out of habit and smiled sheepishly. “I’m feeling a lot better. Thank you, Kyoko-chan.” 

“Hahi! You don’t look so good, Tsuna-san!” Haru popped up from behind Kyoko, looking worried at his bandaged up state. She put her hands on her hips and directed a glare at Gokudera. “How could you let him get shot, stupid!” She stuck out her tongue at the white-haired teen. 

Gokudera scowled, not wanting to be berated by her of all people for his mistakes. "Shut up, you stupid woman! What do you know?" he sneered at her ill-manneredly. 

"Ah, it’s okay, Haru!" Tsuna protested, waving his hands a bit. "Gokudera-kun wasn't with me at that time, so please don't scold him. It wasn't his fault." 

"As long as Tsuna-kun is safe that's the only thing we should worry about, Haru-chan," Kyoko said with a smile. 

Haru smiled at them both. “You’re right, Kyoko-chan.” She had also brought a get-well card as well as some cookies and was now setting them down beside Kyoko’s gifts. “I’m glad you’re okay, Tsuna-san!” she said. 

Although Gokudera didn’t want to leave the Tenth’s side, he was beginning to feel uncomfortable with so many people around. Especially since _she_ was here. “I’m going to step outside for a bit, Tenth,” Gokudera told him, the small smile on his face directed only towards him. 

Tsuna smiled to Haru before looking at Gokudera and nodding. "Okay, Gokudera-kun," he said. 

Gokudera nodded at him before heading out. It was just as he was stepping out the door that he bumped into the latest arrival. "Oi, Gokudera." Yamamoto smiled, looking at him. "I just got back from practice. How's Tsuna doing?" 

Gokudera held back a sigh and reached for his cigarettes. “He’s fine. The girls and that stupid lawnhead are seeing him right now.” He signaled to the door as if telling Yamamoto to go right in. 

"Ah." Yamamoto looked at him for a second. "Um, you shouldn't smoke in a hospital, Gokudera." 

“There’s a smoking section for exactly that reason, dumbass,” Gokudera grumbled, not wanting to hear yet another lecture about his smoking habits. He had heard enough of them from the quack. 

Yamamoto glanced at Tsuna's door before looking back at Gokudera, who was already walking away. It took him a moment of hesitation before he followed Gokudera. "Do you mind if I stick with you for a little while? I don't want to bother Tsuna." He smiled and stuck his hands in his pockets once he had caught up with the other. 

“Do what you want.” Gokudera shrugged, his voice neither biting nor inviting. Gokudera actually appreciated the company, but he wasn’t going to tell Yamamoto that. He was also surprised the other had even wanted to accompany him, considering he had just been complaining about him going out for a smoke. 

"Thanks." Yamamoto smiled, staying near him as they walked in silence. Once they arrived at the smoking section, Yamamoto watched as Gokudera lit up and began to smoke his stress away. He tried not to be too obvious as he observed his friend closely. With everything that had happened, Yamamoto couldn’t help but to think more seriously on how many more chances he might have to talk to Gokudera about… about how he felt. Yamamoto swallowed uneasily at the thought of them having that conversation. But he had to. 

"Gokudera, I’ve… been wanting to ask you something for a while now.” 

“Hah? What is it?” 

“…What, exactly, is Tsuna to you? I know he’s your… boss, but…” For once Yamamoto seemed to be at a loss for words. His expression was apprehensive and nervous as he stared down at his lap. 

Gokudera gave the other a weird glance. “He’s your boss too, you know,” he reminded him as he lit up his cigarette. He took a long, slow drag, before exhaling the smoke along with all the stress he had been keeping in. Gokudera thought hard about Yamamoto’s question, feeling surprisingly open at the moment. “But to me… he’s everything,” he told him, his voice raw, honest, and completely. 

"Right," Yamamoto responded to the first sentence, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the reminder before continuing to listen to the other. Yamamoto looked at Gokudera for a moment before looking to the floor. "Everything, huh..? So... Is there room... for someone else?" 

Gokudera became still for a split second as he realized where this conversation was heading. His heart pounded anxiously and he closed his eyes, trying to make his body relax. He… wasn’t ready to make this decision. 

Although he admitted that he was somewhat attracted to the idiot (and that there was a shocker in itself), Gokudera didn’t think that he felt anything more concerning the other. He begrudgingly considered him a very good friend, and though he was loather to admit it, he was even beginning to think of him like Family. But, despite the Future Tenth’s words, despite the happiness and longing he had heard in the other’s voice, Gokudera still wasn’t sure about this. Especially not now. Everything had changed. That Future Tenth hadn’t gotten shot before… not like this, or else he would’ve been more worried. That Future Tenth didn’t exist anymore. 

That Future had changed. 

And Gokudera couldn’t force himself to accept this, despite knowing the possibilities of his choice. 

When Gokudera opened his eyes, he gave Yamamoto a small sad smile. He didn’t want to hurt him by rejecting him…. but it would be worse to hurt him by accepting him unwillingly. 

“I’m sorry,” he told him. 

How long had Yamamoto longed for Gokudera to smile at him? ... But when he finally did, Yamamoto’s heart shattered at the words that came with it. "I... see..." he muttered, looking away and instead finding the floor something better to stare at. He had known he was going to get rejected... but he had thought Gokudera would be his normal angry self. This Gokudera... Yamamoto really didn't know how to handle it. 

Seeing the other this down reminded Gokudera of the previous night. It had frustrated Gokudera how Yamamoto reacted last night and it frustrated him now. It just wasn’t right to see him like this. 

But it’s not like Gokudera couldn’t understand the feeling… After all, his entire life had been nothing but rejection. 

Gokudera bit his lip. He just knew he was going to regret his next words for the rest of his life. 

“Tch, don’t make that face,” he told him, giving the other’s shoulder a light punch. “Just ‘cause I don’t like you that way, doesn’t mean I don’t like you at all, stupid baseball idiot.” 

Yamamoto blinked a few times before he realized that Gokudera was trying to comfort him. He smiled and let out a quiet huffing laugh before nodding. "I always knew you liked me!" he teased, his mood doing a complete 180 as he grinned happily at Gokudera. Even though he was rejected, a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He laughed happily at the relief before clapping a hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to go see Tsuna for a bit!" he said before promptly running off. 

Gokudera watched him go, not sure if he wanted to smile in relief or scowl in annoyance. The smile won out at the end, and he was glad the other had not been there to see it. 


	10. Target 09: Making Up

As promised, Tsuna was picked up the next morning by his mother. He spent the next few of days recuperating at home. He saw little of Reborn, and he had a feeling it had to do something with the man in the picture—the man who had shot him—but he didn’t have a chance to dwell on this very much as Fuuta and the rest of the kids made sure to keep him distracted. 

Oddly enough, he also saw little of Gokudera. Though Tsuna received multiple texts from the other boy for the past few days, the bomb-user hadn’t made a single visit. This worried him. 

Yamamoto, on the other hand, made sure to drop by for a couple hours every day. Tsuna appreciated his company, but he couldn’t help but to notice that there was something different about him. 

But on the morning of the fifth day, Tsuna was already ready to get back to school. His wound still hadn’t fully healed but he was well enough for light activities apparently. As he readied himself for school and began heading downstairs, he wondered if Gokudera was going to come and pick him up. He had told him he was going to school that day but Gokudera hadn’t responded to his text. 

He need not have worried though. 

“Good morning, Tenth!” Gokudera was waiting at the door as usual. There was a bright and expectant smile on his face as he waited for his boss to come down. 

“Ah, good morning, Gokude-... Ah!" Tsuna's eyes widened slightly, and it was no wonder why. Before him, Gokudera stood with bandages peeking out under his clothes. 

"What happened?!" Tsuna exclaimed, eyeing the bandages with worry. 

Gokudera rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s from training,” he explained, looking slightly guilty. “But don’t worry yourself, Tenth, I’m perfectly fine. Really!” 

Tsuna frowned and felt a surge of guilt himself. Gokudera had done this to himself for him. He almost wanted to reprimand the other but Gokudera’s earnest expression prevented him from speaking. He was so difficult sometimes… 

He invited Gokudera in and turned to the hallway. As he neared the kitchen door, he heard a small commotion. Maybe it was just the kids. But as he looked into the kitchen, his expression changed. "REBORN!" Tsuna fumed, watching the Arcobaleno gobble down the last of his breakfast, but before the brunette could open his mouth to argue, Reborn immediately cut in. "You weren't paying attention, No-Good-Tsuna," he said. 

Tsuna scowled but gave up, knowing a useless situation when he saw one. "I guess we should just get going, Gokudera-kun," he said as he headed back into the hallway and picked up his bag. 

Gokudera nodded but frowned for a second. He hesitated and eyed the other for a moment before speaking up. “Would you like to pick up something to eat on the way?” he asked as he held open the front door for the Tenth. “I haven’t eaten anything either,” Gokudera added just in case the other thought it would be too inconvenient. 

"Ah, sure! That sounds great!" Tsuna smiled happily, walking next to Gokudera as they headed down the street. It felt so normal considering what had happened these past few days. Tsuna, though, still had no idea as to what had happened between Gokudera and Yamamoto, though perhaps it was better that way. 

Halfway through their trek to the school, they stopped by a small shop to buy some bread. Gokudera was happy the Tenth had agreed to stop by. “You shouldn’t overexert yourself today, Tenth, since you’re still recovering! If anything troublesome comes up, just leave it to me!” he told him eagerly before biting into his bread. 

Tsuna smiled at the other’s words and nodded slightly. "Okay. I'll be counting on you today," he said before beginning to nibble at his bread, happy he would be able to have some breakfast. 

The two continued their way to school like this. Tsuna was surprised they hadn’t run into Yamamoto and mentioned this. 

“He’s probably waiting for us at the gate. We did take a detour,” Gokudera reasoned. 

He was right. 

"Yo~!" Yamamoto called at them, waving when he finally caught sight of them nearing the school. 

Gokudera took another bite of his bread and gave the other a lazy wave. “Morning,” he acknowledged, making an effort to be amiable… It was surprisingly not hard. 

"Good morning, Yamamoto!" Tsuna said before his mind caught up with Gokudera’s response. He was slightly shocked at the realization that Gokudera had simply greeted the other. No scowl? No grumble? Tsuna glanced between the two in confusion but took this in stride. He didn’t sense anything was wrong. Maybe the two were finally starting to get along? 

The idea made him smile. 

"How are you feeling, Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked him then with his usual smile. 

"I'm doing much better." Tsuna nodded and smiled in return. 

“It feels like forever since we’ve been to school,” Gokudera pointed out as he heard the first bell ring. While Tsuna had missed class due to his injuries, Gokudera just hadn’t bothered to show up at all and had decided to just use his free time to train. 

“Yeah... So many things have happened." Tsuna sighed wryly before he smiled at Gokudera and Yamamoto. "But here we are again! So let's do our best!" 

Yamamoto grinned happily and nodded at Tsuna. "You got it!" 

 

* * *

 

Even though Tsuna had said for them to try their best, he still found himself daydreaming during class once in a while. His mind kept wandering about everything. About how his future self fared when he returned to the death trap he had walked into. About Gokudera’s training-inflicted injuries. He was even thinking about the sudden change in Yamamoto and Gokudera’s relationship. But what was still at the forefront of his mind was the problem with his Dying Will Flames. He was in fact so preoccupied with all of these issues that it wasn't until the teacher called his name for the third time that Tsuna "woke up" and immediately stood, stammering an apology. Of course the teacher asked him a question he knew nothing about and Tsuna just stood there with a blank and guilty look on his face. 

Gokudera noticed the Tenth’s predicament and quickly mouthed the answer to him. He then shifted his eyes to glare at the teacher for daring to disrupt his boss. 

Tsuna caught Gokudera's look and stammered out the answer in nervous embarrassment. The teacher, looking slightly surprised, said that Tsuna was right and could sit back down. Tsuna sat, a huge sigh of relief heaving his shoulders. He mouthed a “thanks” to Gokudera before smiling at Yamamoto who was giving him a thumbs-up from across the room. 

Gokudera smiled back, happy to have been able to help. 

The day passed quickly. Tsuna tried his best to keep his problems out of his mind but it was hard. Before they knew it, it was already lunchtime and they all decided to head upstairs to eat on the roof. Much to Gokudera’s great annoyance, however, the lawnhead had decided to join them for once. 

“Yo, Sawada! It’s good to see you up and about to the extreme!” Ryohei punched the air in excitement. 

Tsuna smiled a bit before nodding. "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better, onii-san," he said before taking some of the sushi Yamamoto had brought for the three of them. 

“That’s extremely great! Now that you’ve recovered, you should come back to the boxing club!” Ryohei laughed boisterously.  

Gokudera scowled at the other’s loudness. “As if, lawnhead!” he growled, wishing the other would leave already. He was disrupting their lunch. 

"Ah... I don't think I will, onii-san..." Tsuna sweat dropped. 

It was then that Hibari walked up to the roof. Tsuna was at first unaware of it, but he caught himself staring at the black-haired male after a moment. He watched as Hibird flew down and landed on the prefect’s shoulder, but before he could tear his eyes away from this sight, Hibari caught his look. Tsuna quickly stiffened and reacted, deciding the best idea was to greet him. "H-hello, Hibari-san…!" he greeted him with a small wave. 

Hibari just looked at him. 

Gokudera gave the prefect a dark warning glare, as if daring him to try and hurt the Tenth. 

Ryohei, on the other hand, got excited. It had been quite a while since he had encountered the prefect, as whenever Dino was in town, Hibari became almost impossible to visit and challenge to a fight. So without further thought, Ryohei stepped up to address him. “Hibari!” he shouted loudly. “Let’s have a match to the extreme!” he announced before charging at him without further ado. 

Hibird fluttered away quickly as Hibari took out his tonfas in the blink of an eye. 

Tsuna eyed him worriedly. He wondered if he should stop them, considering Hibari-san's... condition. "Wait! Onii-san, don't!" he called out belatedly. His effort was hopeless though, because once Ryohei got this way, there was no stopping him. 

Hibari blocked the incoming punches easily though, so it seemed like there was nothing to worry about. In fact, there was even a pleased smirk on his face. 

Ryohei continued his assault determinedly and dodged Hibari’s blows. They seemed to be evenly matched, Ryohei thought cockily, but he wasn’t one to accept a draw so Ryohei increased his pace, trying to land a blow. 

As Gokudera and Yamamoto could recognize, however, Hibari wasn't using his full strength. This didn't stop Tsuna from becoming utterly worried about the situation. He watched them with wide eyes, hoping fervently that Ryohei would stop. After a while, it was clear that Hibari decided that enough was enough as he began aiming swift, strong blows to Ryohei's head, aiming to knock him out. 

Ryohei only got more excited at the challenge. He continued to dodge, having to block once with his arms—and damn that hurt—but he grinned. He hadn’t had a fight this good in a _while_. “Heh, you’re good!” he complimented the prefect, jumping back for a second to catch his breath and appraise the other. But before he could jump back into the fight, there was an interruption. 

“Kyooouya,” a scolding voice rang out. Someone appeared from behind Hibari and wrapped their arms around the prefect’s body, pulling him back. “Didn’t I tell you not to overexert yourself today?” Dino tsked, tightening his hold before addressing the others. 

“Hey, Tsuna. Nice to see you out of the hospital!” The blonde smiled. 

Dino was probably going to regret that. The moment he wrapped his arms around an adrenaline-filled and mood-swinging Hibari, the prefect whirled around and punched him across the jaw. Tsuna winced in the background as Hibari simply stared at the blonde, his adrenaline thinning out bit by bit. 

Dino hissed in pain, recoiling from the blow. The punch had been hard enough to actually draw blood, Dino noticed with a grimace. But it’s not like he could really glare at his lover for his reaction…Dino really should have expected that. He had been worried to see the other fight though (not to mention also a little jealous…but only a little!), so it was also only natural for Dino to react this way. He bit back a sigh, wiping the blood that was beginning to trickle down his chin, and was about to make some sort of humorous remark to break the tension when he was interrupted. 

“That was extremely uncool, dude! Never get in the middle of an extreme fight!” Ryohei lectured him with a frown. 

Needless to say, the comment only served to further irritate Dino. 

Hibari was actually amused at this last statement and was satisfied to see a little bit of blood on his dear lover's cheek. Still, he was beginning to get annoyed by the fact that there were too many people crowding about, so he pushed Dino away and began to head towards the door. "I'm leaving," he said without even glancing back as Hibird fluttered back to his shoulder. 

Dino sighed aloud this time, running a hand through his hair before letting his face fall into an easygoing smile. As much as he wanted to go after his lover, it was better if he stayed away, at least for a little while, before going after him. 

“He has such a _temper_ sometimes,” he joked to Tsuna, knowing he was the one most intimidated by Kyouya among them all. 

Gokudera, who had watched the scene with an uncaring look on his face, snorted at this comment. 

Yamamoto laughed a bit at this comment and Tsuna tried to smile back to Dino. "Aha… Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it, huh?" he said and shot the other an awkward smile. Still, he had to admit he was relieved that Hibari-san left the fight without any serious blows. 

 _Should I talk to Ryohei later about this?_ Tsuna wondered briefly, but he discarded this thought a moment later. If Tsuna told Ryohei the reason, it would likely spread around the school in a matter of seconds. _If word gets out, Hibari-san would definitely send me to the hospital._ Tsuna shuddered. 

On the other hand, with no one else to fight at the moment, Ryohei was losing interest and fast. It wasn’t like he didn’t enjoy their company, but there was training to _do_. He was disappointed with the lack of an outcome in his battle with Hibari and he vowed to himself to ask for a rematch later on before saying goodbye to everyone. The comment made Dino’s eyes narrow for a second and he thought he might have a little _word_ with the boxing fanatic later on. 

Tsuna spotted Dino’s expression and realized that he should probably take charge of his "Family." After Ryohei left, Tsuna looked at Dino with a slightly nervous expression. "Um, I'll talk to him, so don't worry, Dino-san," he assured him quickly. "I'll take care of it." 

At Tsuna’s words, Dino tried to dwindle down his annoyance at the Sun Guardian and gave his little brother a sheepish smile. “If you say so,” he responded agreeably. 

The bell rang then, signaling the end of lunch. “I should get going,” Dino said, already anxious to follow his lover, especially now that students would be heading back to class. 

Gokudera rolled his eyes at all the drama that had happened during lunch, but was glad that none of it had been harmful to the Tenth. 

Tsuna nodded and gave a small smile. "Take care of yourself," he said to Dino before going back to help Yamamoto pick up the remains of their shared lunch. 

 

* * *

 

Hibari patrolled the halls with a quiet irritation. Anyone in the same hallway as him became quiet, fearful, and walked quickly. As the students filtered into their classes, Hibari returned to the roof with a small lunch in his hand. He preferred to eat when students were in class and away from him. 

Dino was there waiting for him, but unlike before (unlike usual) he didn’t make a move towards the prefect, instead he just waited on the spot he was laying on and stared at the sky, a calm expression on his face as he listened to the other settle down. 

This was partly because he was sulking, and partly because he wasn’t ready to test out Kyouya’s mood. 

Hibari wasn't really surprised to see Dino there. In fact, he would have been surprised if he wasn't. He stood next to where Dino was laying and looked down at him. He then moved and sat down a few feet away from Dino (like usual) and opened up his lunch box, beginning to eat. He occasionally fed a few grains of rice to Hibird, who was still resting on his shoulder. 

Dino smiled at the other’s gesture (and tried not to wince in pain at the action). It seemed he had been forgiven? Or, Dino thought ruefully, perhaps his injury had been the only consequence of his transgression? In any case, Dino was glad that the other didn’t seem to be angry. He turned around so he was lying on his stomach and stared at his lover quietly. A peaceful smile spread across his face. Dino could never really stay angry at the other, and he knew exactly the reason why. 

Hibari concentrated on his food and ignored the other’s stare. The often-loving stares Dino would give him were something he had to live through. It was more than annoying, really. Seeing that pure happiness in those eyes ruined the strength the blonde was capable of and made him look like another herbivore. "Are you just going to continue staring at me for the rest of the period?" he asked, thought he was meticulously not looking at the blonde as he took a bite of his rice ball. 

Dino grinned slightly. And as if that wasn’t enough of an invitation, the realization that one of the grains of rice stuck to the corner of Kyouya’s mouth was. Dino couldn’t help but to reach over to lick it away. Deciding to test his luck, he scooted over until he was sitting closer to him. He wanted nothing more than to hold him like he had last time they had been on the roof (and wow, that felt like forever ago), but didn’t want to push him that much yet. Instead, he held out one of his hands so Hibird could perch atop of it. 

Hibari closed an eye when Dino licked him and had to hold back a roll of the eyes. As Hibari continued eating, Hibird looked at Dino, tilting his head a bit. He hopped a few times, heading for Dino's finger and sitting on it. Though it only took a few moments to find Hibari's head much more comfortable, fluttered up, and nestled at the top of Hibari's hair. The prefect didn't seem to mind at all and just continued to eat. 

Dino smiled at Hibird’s actions before leaning back and waiting for Kyouya to finish eating. The silence was a peaceful one, yet as time went by, the scene from earlier began to bother Dino more profoundly. Didn’t Kyouya care about his condition? He shouldn’t be overexerting his body like that while he was like this. A frown marred Dino’s lips as he thought about this and tried to think of a way to broach the subject. He had a feeling Kyouya wasn’t going to concede despite of this however, so he would just have to make sure that there just weren’t any opponents for the other to fight. 

Hibari finished his lunch soon after and looked at Dino. "Why are you here today?" he asked, putting his bento box back together and into its bag. The first few times Dino had come to see him "just because," Hibari had refused to be with him. Now, he usually had a reason to visit him at school. Otherwise, Hibari would always see him at home. 

Dino has been expecting the question but wasn’t sure exactly how to answer it. As much as he would love to say “just because,” Kyouya would either not believe him or just ignore him. However, confessing the truth, that he had come to check if Kyouya was doing alright, would only make the other irritable. 

So he settled for the half-truth. “I wanted to see you,” Dino told him, because he really had. Waiting for Kyouya to come back home was becoming too unbearable. Especially when his subordinates’ reports kept telling him that Kyouya kept getting into fights. 

"If you wanted to see me, just wait at home," Hibari said, looking at him with a small frown. He placed the bento box down in front of him before standing up. Hibari didn't like sitting still for very long. Especially around Dino. The blonde would often get clingy. 

“I was bored,” Dino joked, although he had a feeling Kyouya probably wouldn’t be surprised if that was the truth. He watched the other stand up, wondering if the prefect would leave him now, but didn’t move from his spot. 

"I'm sure you have other places to go," Hibari said, looking down at Dino. "Aren't you the head of a Mafia Family? Don't you have things to do?" 

“Are you worrying about me?” Dino teased, sidestepping the question. If only Kyouya knew the effort Dino had put into making it possible to actually stay in Japan for this long. It gave him twice the paperwork, but at least he didn’t have to endure those endless meetings with his “marriage proposals.” 

Hibari just looked at him hard. He didn't like it when Dino teased him. Mistaking his normal statements for actions of affection... It was insulting. "I'm going," he said, picking up his bento box and turning to leave. 

It was at this moment that Dino would usually stop him, pull him close and extend their time together for even just a second more. But today… “See you later,” the blonde responded amiably, lifting his hand in a lazy wave. 

Hibari fully expected for the usual to happen: Dino instantly refusing him to go. But... Hibari stopped at the other's words and looked back at him. "What?" For a moment, a small flash of surprise passed his expression but it was soon replaced by his usual unemotional wall. 

Dino was startled by the other’s surprise but pretended not to notice. (Inwardly, he was very happy.) Instead, he stood up and moved to wrap his arms around the other’s waist, pulling him close and smiling into the other’s neck. “At least _try_ not to do too much?” he asked, his voice both pleading and resigned. He leaned over to kiss the other before letting him go. 

As Dino's head was buried in his neck, Hibari's expression softened. His hand wandered to his own stomach before he let Dino kiss him. He then looked at Dino. "No promises," he said before turning around and heading back inside the school. 

Dino was surprised at the other’s response, glad that the other had at least thought about it. His eyes softened as he watched the other leave, wishing he could keep the other in his arms. But as Kyouya had said earlier, he had work to do. 

(As if paperwork would ever be more important than Kyouya, Dino snorted. When will the other ever learn?)

 

* * *

 

 

Hibari had a pretty normal afternoon. He put his bento box away before patrolling the halls of the school. The normalcy though was disrupted. About an hour after school let out, Hibari left the grounds and began walking home. Once he hit a deserted street, twelve guys immediately surrounded him. The teens sneered at him, their faces dark with resentment. "If it isn’t the great Namimori prefect, huh? I bet you can't handle all of us at once!" the apparent leader announced. 

Undaunted and refusing to acknowledge he had been caught off guard, Hibari took out his tonfas. He was just in time to block the attacks headed at him. He managed to knock eight of them out with swift blows to the head but the remaining four managed to rush him and shove him up against a wall. Hibari lost his balance, his forehead smacking against the concrete wall.                                                 

“Ha! Not so tough now, are you? Maybe this will teach you not to act so stuck up anymore!” the leader taunted Hibari, as two of the other guys moved to grab the prefect’s arms. The leader walked closer to Hibari until he was mere inches away from him. He was about to grab the other’s collar and punch him in the face when a loud cracking noise filled the air, and then there was _pain_. 

It was Dino. The blonde had a dark glint in his eyes as he stepped into view, his wrist flicking as he took care of the guys. “Fuck!” another one hissed as Dino’s whipped cracked again. Not before long, there was complete silence in the clearing and Dino looked in Kyouya’s direction with an unreadable look on his face. 

Hibari was dizzy from the blow to the head. Once the teens had released him, he had fallen to his knees. He pressed his hand against his forehead where there was a scrape, blood dripping down the side of his face. His eyes wouldn't focus. He heard loud cracks and the screams of the last four boys before he finally looked up, his eyes meeting the gaze of his blonde lover. Hibari didn't say a thing. 

“I thought you said you would be careful.” Dino’s voice was accusing. His eyes roved the other’s body, checking for injuries before closing his eyes for a second and sighing loudly. He called Romario to come check up on his lover. Dino didn’t think the other was badly injured, but it never hurt to be careful. Especially now. 

Hibari frowned and glared slightly at Dino. He didn't want to admit that he had successfully been ambushed. He didn't want to admit that without Dino, he would have had trouble beating his assailants... No. Hibari didn't want to admit anything of that sort. So he just stayed silent. 

The silence was not helping Dino’s temper. “I am putting my guards to follow you—and by this, I don’t mean from far away like they usually do.” Dino narrowed his eyes at this. “They’re going back to following you closely, like they should have been in the first place. You are _not_ allowed to bite them to death, Kyouya,” he warned the other, his voice non-negotiable. 

Hibari stood up and picked up his tonfas. His hair was hiding his face until the single moment where Hibari snapped. He rushed up to Dino and began swinging his tonfas at him with more strength than usual. 

Dino’s patience completely snapped. “ _Enough,_ ” he hissed loudly, cracking his whip quickly to disarm the other before gripping the other’s wrists tightly. “Are you out of your mind, Kyouya?” he asked the other, his voice slowly rising with his every word. “The only reason I am here in the first place was because I was planning to meet up with you! If my men hadn’t told me you were on your way home, what do you _think_ would’ve happened?” Dino yelled at the other, feeling _furious_. 

But Hibari didn't stop, nor did he respond. With his wrists now held still, the prefect opted then to thrust his heel down on Dino's foot. Anything. Anything to cause a bit of pain. Any bit of pain at all. 

“Don’t.” Dino’s voice was low but scolding. _Don’t be such a child, Kyouya,_ he thought, ignoring his stinging toes. “Don’t,” he repeated in frustration, this time meaning, _don’t fight me on this_. 

He let go of Kyouya’s wrists despite knowing there was a chance the other would continue to fight him anyway. With his now-free hands Dino reached over to tilt his lover’s chin up, using his other hand to wipe away the remaining blood at the prefect’s forehead. His actions were soft, caring, and concerned, despite the anger still visible in his eyes. 

Hibari ground his heel into Dino's foot until he was released. He then smacked the blonde's hands away, glaring at him. Finally, Hibari spoke. "I never asked for this," he said lowly, glaring at Dino. "I never wanted this. Don't start acting like it’s my fault." 

Dino flinched, the words stinging him more deeply than he thought they would. It’s not like he had ever really deluded himself about their relationship… He had practically forced his affection onto the other, and now because of him and his stupid words to Reborn, Kyouya was saddled with something else he didn’t want. 

Dino knew, but the words still hurt. “I’m sorry,” he told him quietly, knowing there was nothing he could do to ease the other’s burden. 

"You better be..." Hibari said lowly. He picked up his tonfas and walked past Dino, continuing to walk to his house. Once he got there, he threw his tonfas to the floor irritably, before walking to the bathroom to clean his face. His head hurt. His chest and stomach hurt. His mind was racing. The only thing he could really do was sit on his bed and stare at his sheets blankly, trying to figure out what the hell he had gotten himself into. 

Dino clenched his fists at his sides, trying to will away the hurt that was bubbling up in his chest. He watched the other walk away before closing his eyes and tried to calm down. It didn’t help. So he began to walk, waving away his men and before reminding them of their other duties. He needed to be alone. 

Romario watched his boss walk away with a conflicted look in his eyes. He sighed, and not for the first time, thought that this relationship had not been a good idea. The thought was fleeting however, and he shook his head before following Hibari to his house, needing to check on the boy’s conditions as per Dino’s orders. 

Hibari was sitting on his bed, just silent. He was staring at the bed sheets while his hand was absentmindedly rubbing his stomach. He didn't ask for this... He never wanted this. Why couldn't they just be like normal? This... baby, it was complicating things. 

“Kyouya-san,” Romario interrupted the prefect’s musings as he entered the room. He examined the other’s troubled expression with a frown but withheld his sigh. He stepped forward to tend to the boy’s wounds, his actions wary. While Hibari didn’t usually protest to letting him do this, the boy’s moods had been unreadable lately. 

Hibari looked at Romario but stayed still, allowing him to clean the scrape on his forehead. It wouldn't do any good to have it infected... He had been acting childish. This baby was making him lose his mind. He had to figure things out before it got completely out of hand. 

Romario quickly took care of the scrape, before giving the other a onceover. “What else?” he asked as usual, just in case he missed something. He trusted Hibari to speak up since he could never examine the other as thoroughly as he would like. 

"Nothing else, Romario," Hibari said simply, looking at the wall and leaning back on the headboard of his bed. He had stopped rubbing his stomach and both his arms were now resting beside him. 

Romario nodded and began gathering his things, although still keeping the other within his vision. He was worried about his boss, about this whole situation. When he turned towards the door, he couldn’t resist the urge to speak up. “It doesn’t have to complicate things,” he told him, although he knew that this situation was a huge complication. However… “If you let it, it will become precious to you,” he told the other with a kind voice before leaving the seventeen-year-old on his own. 

Hibari was silent as he watched Romario leave. _Something precious_. He mulled over these words as he slowly took out his phone and scrolled through the very short contact list. As Hibari stared at Dino's name on his phone, he realized that the only precious thing he's ever had was Namimori Middle School... But what about Dino? Could he live without him? And this baby... As much as he wanted to deny it, it was on its way. Dino and this child... Yes. They were precious to him. Not that he'd ever tell the stupid blonde. 

At that moment, something seemed to click. Perhaps it was the pregnancy hormones. Perhaps it was the guilt. Perhaps Romario's words actually had an effect. Regardless of the cause, Hibari selected Dino's number and sent him a single word text. 

_"Sorry."_

* * *

 

Dino was frustrated. With Kyouya, with Reborn, but mainly with himself. He just didn’t know what to do anymore—how to make this up to Kyouya. He felt like their relationship was slowly shattering before his eyes, and it was something Dino didn’t want to let go, even if the pieces pierced his hands bloody. His morbid thoughts were interrupted by a vibration—his phone. Wondering who it could be, Dino flipped over his phone and his eyes widened at what he saw. 

Kyouya had… apologized. 

Outside the Namimori Middle School, Dino smiled softly to himself, beginning to feel hope. He knew then that they would be alright. 


	11. Target 10: It's Complicated

 

Tsuna had managed to convince Ryohei that Hibari was injured and needed time to rest before Ryohei could challenge him again. Of course, after that, Tsuna had to practically flee as Ryohei began to rant about him joining the boxing club. But he had done what was needed. As Tsuna walked out of the school with Gokudera at his side—Yamamoto was in baseball practice—he bit his thumb nail, still a bit worried about it all. 

“Don’t worry about it, Tenth! It’ll be alright!” Gokudera tried to reassure him. 

Tsuna looked at Gokudera before he smiled slightly. “I guess you’re right…” He tried to relax as he looked ahead of him. 

“Gokudera-kun, do you mind coming over my house to help me with my extra homework? If you're not busy that is!" he asked, although he already knew the answer. 

“Of course, Tenth!” Gokudera’s lips stretched into a wide grin, happy the other had asked. Lately that had been happening a lot. Before, the Tenth hadn’t really relied on him like this, so the change made Gokudera very happy. 

Tsuna smiled at that. Even though he knew Gokudera would always say yes to him, it made his heart flutter whenever he did. “Okay!” he said, before walking with Gokudera down the road to his house. “Oh, how’s Uri, by the way?” 

Gokudera’s smile became softer. “He’s doing great,” he said. He scratched the back of his head a little and looked away. “He misses you.” 

Tsuna smiled softly as well. “Then how about we do the homework at your place?” he suggested then. “I’ll call mom and tell her.” 

“You don’t have to, Tenth!” Gokudera’s heart skipped a beat at the other’s words. The Tenth hadn’t come to his house since he had left… It made him happy that the other wanted to return. 

"I want to," Tsuna assured him with a smile before taking his phone out. "Is it okay, then?" He didn't dial his house number yet until Gokudera confirmed. 

Gokudera nodded hurriedly with a pleased smile on his lips. 

Tsuna smiled back before dialing his house phone number. "Mom? Yeah, I'm going to do my homework at Gokudera-kun's house," Tsuna said into the phone and waited for his mother's response. "Yeah… Yeah, I'll be home for dinner… Okay. Love you too, see you later!" He hung up the phone before turning to look back at Gokudera with a smile. "Let's go!" 

They arrived to Gokudera’s house in no time. Gokudera reached for his keys and opened the door, and not a second later, Uri was pouncing on his legs, making him almost stumble as he tried to avoid stepping on the small kitten. “Uri!” he protested. 

Tsuna walked in and laughed slightly at the scene, wondering if this happened every time Gokudera entered his apartment. "Hey, Uri!" After Tsuna closed the door behind them, he knelt down to look at the small white cat. "Have you been taking good care of Gokudera-kun?" 

Uri meowed loudly and happily, pawing at his master’s legs. At hearing Tsuna’s voice, he meowed even louder before trying to jump up into the other’s arms. 

Gokudera smiled, trying not to blush at the Tenth’s concern. 

Tsuna laughed slightly, picking Uri up. He petted Uri with a smile before looking at Gokudera. "Let's get all the homework done so we can hang out for a little while before I have to leave," he said, holding Uri in both his arms. 

Gokudera nodded, motioning the Tenth towards his living room. His house was a little messy, but not as bad as it had been the other week. There were some cigarettes littering here and there as well as some books. Gokudera rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly anyway. “Sorry about the mess, Tenth, I hadn’t expected you to come over,” he apologized. 

"No, it’s okay. I was the one who invited myself over after all," Tsuna said, shaking his head. "Besides, my room is a lot messier. I don't mind. I like Gokudera-kun's apartment." He smiled, and moved to sit down. He held Uri with one hand now as he used his other hand to take his homework out of his bag. 

Gokudera was pleased at the other’s admission. A moment later, he took his homework out as well. Although Gokudera had done most of it during school, he still had a little left. It didn’t take him long to finish it though, so for the rest of the time, Gokudera did his best to help his boss out with his work. 

Tsuna was forced to put Uri down as they began to work. It wasn’t difficult, really, but Tsuna found himself lost at every turn. He asked Gokudera for help so much, he ended up just moving to sit next to him until they had finished. 

"We're done!" Tsuna groaned in relief, stretching. "I'm sorry it took so long!" 

“Don’t worry about it, Tenth!” Gokudera assured him. “I’m glad I was able to help!” Gokudera grinned. This afternoon had been really wonderful. He was happy. There had been no interruptions whatsoever and he had spent his time with the Tenth alone… Gokudera couldn’t ask for anything better. 

Tsuna smiled happily. He began to close his books, and when he was done, he looked at Gokudera again. "Thank you, Gokudera-kun… You know, for everything. You always take such good care of me." His cheeks colored lightly. 

“O-of course, Tenth.” Gokudera’s cheeks also reddened. “You can always count on me!” he assured him, somewhat flustered. 

Tsuna smiled gently. "I know. You're really dependable," he said, looking away now. He quickly began to put away his things to avoid looking at Gokudera's reaction. 

Gokudera’s heart thudded loudly and he cursed it, not wanting to burden the Tenth with its sound. He felt his face flame up and with frustration wished he could control his reactions. 

Tsuna, though, soon ran out of things to put away. He laid his hands on his lap before looking back up at his right-hand man. It occurred to him now that this was the first time in about a week since the two of them had sat down together like this. The muscles in his left shoulder were stiff and, although it didn’t really hurt as much anymore, Tsuna could never forget what had happened to him, or who was there to hold him when he had returned from that horrible nightmare. 

Tsuna wanted to hide his face to wipe out the horrific memory of what had happened, but he knew such an action would make Gokudera worry. So he stayed still, his hands on his lap. Gokudera had been so worried, so patient with him. Sometimes, Tsuna didn’t think he deserved it. Especially after what had happened, after that kiss… The one when Tsuna had outright rejected him because of his own cowardice. Tsuna bit his lip lightly. He wanted to apologize but what if Gokudera wanted more than just a sorry? The thought terrified him. 

“Gokudera-kun?” Tsuna found himself stammering, much to his dismay. “I… Um… Well…” 

Gokudera’s eyes darted towards his boss and his heart thudded anxiously. Had his boss noticed his reaction? The brunette looked wary, not to mention embarrassed. Gokudera inwardly berated himself for making the other uncomfortable. He had been trying to push his feelings for the other away so much… but he ended up slipping up like this after all. He was the worst. “W-what is it, Tenth?” he finally asked, but he made sure not to look at the other’s face. He felt entirely too mortified to do so. 

Tsuna nearly grimaced at the name and finally looked up at Gokudera. His face was red and he looked nearly as terrified as he was. It took Tsuna by surprise and he swallowed, faltering yet again in his thoughts. He sighed. He wanted Gokudera’s friendship and, it seemed, much more, but his cowardice kept getting in the way. That and the fact that he knew Gokudera only saw him as the ‘Tenth.’ 

“Can’t you just call me Tsuna?” His voice was soft but there was a distinct tiredness in his tone. He didn’t want to be Tenth. He just wanted to be Tsuna. 

Tsuna’s words caused Gokudera’s brows to furrow in confusion and surprise. He finally allowed himself to glance and the other and the sight before him made him pause. Something about the Tenth’s expression made Gokudera realize that there was more behind that request than what was being said. It made his heart jolt slightly, and made him reconsider his initial answer. He bit his lip. “I… T-” 

“Tsuna! What’s with this depressed air in here?” 

Tsuna started at the familiar voice and turned to see Reborn sitting at the edge of the table, Leon on his lap being happily petted. “Reborn!” he shouted in shock, his face flushing red with embarrassment at being caught in such a private moment. 

Reborn sighed, shaking his head in pity. “You two are absolutely hopeless. Tsuna, I understand, but Gokudera, you’re Italian! I would have thought Shamal taught you better. Back in my day-” 

“Stop lecturing us like an old man when you’re just a baby!” Tsuna shouted, flustered. 

“R-Reborn-san!” Gokudera became immediately flustered as well. How had the Arcobaleno gotten in here?! More importantly, exactly how long had he been here, watching them?! By the sound of his words, it must have been quite a while. Gokudera’s face darkened further. He didn’t think he could feel more mortified than he was now. “W-what are you doing here?” he stammered out, pointedly ignoring the other’s insinuations. 

Leon climbed up on Reborn’s hand and the Arcobaleno lifted it to the brim of his hat. The chameleon climbed onto the hat to his usual position as Reborn stood. “I came because Tsuna is late for dinner.” 

“Eh? I am?” Tsuna blinked before he looked at the time and gasped at the late hour. “Oh! I should get home!” 

Gokudera looked at the time as well and the realization of how late it had gotten made him frown slightly. He didn’t want to part from the other yet. But perhaps it was for the best. If it wasn’t for Reborn, they would have had to continue their talk… and Gokudera still wasn’t sure of how that would have gone. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. 

Now wasn’t the time to speculate about this though. Gokudera stood up and began bowing in apology. “I’m sorry for having kept you here for so late, Tenth!” he said. “Please send my apologies to your Mother!” 

Tsuna started at Gokudera’s sudden apology and he lifted his hands quickly to calm him. “N-no, it’s fine! I lost track of the time, too, with the homework and-” Tsuna cleared his throat. “Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair and grabbed his bag, ready to leave. But something stopped him. Gokudera had already done so much for him and Tsuna had done absolutely nothing in return. He could already hear his mother’s nagging voice telling him off. 

“Um, do you want to join us for dinner, Gokudera-kun?” Tsuna offered with a small smile. “It’s the least I can do.” 

Gokudera’s eyes widened slightly at the offer. “R-really?” he stammered in surprise, feeling a rush of happiness swell through him. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to impose or anything!” 

“No, no, you’re not imposing!” Tsuna assured him and smiled. “Mom would love to have you over. You know how happy she is when I bring guests,” he said, slightly exasperated however true it was. 

“Well, if you’re sure…” 

“Yes, he’s sure, now if you’re coming, let’s go!” Reborn said, hopping off the table and heading towards the door. “I don’t want to miss dinner.” 

Tsuna sighed at Reborn’s impatience but offered Gokudera another smile as they followed Reborn out. 

They arrived at the house quickly after that. Before they even reached for the door however, Nana burst through it, her face positively beaming. "Tsu-kun!" she exclaimed happily before her eyes saw Gokudera standing behind him. "And Gokudera-kun too!" She giggled before ushering them in. "We have a special guest today~" her voice sang as she nudged them both into the living room. 

Iemitsu laid spread out on the floor, a bottle of liquor in hand and a lazy grin stretched out across his face. “Tsuna! You’re finally home!” the blonde man exclaimed happily. 

“EH?! DAD?!” Tsuna's eyes widened at the unexpected sight of his father. He always showed up at inconvenient times. “What are you doing here?!” 

Gokudera’s eyes widened, surprised to see that the Tenth’s Father was in town. Before he could even give the man a word of greeting however, Lambo’s loud voice interrupted him. His eyebrow twitched in irritation. 

“TSUNA’S HOME!” Lambo clung to Tsuna’s pants, resembling a koala. “Stupid Tsuna! Maman said we couldn’t eat until you got home! I’M HUNGRY!!” the five-year-old exclaimed. 

Iemitsu laughed easily at all this commotion, as if there wasn’t a lovelier sound in the world. “I’m in a bit of a vacation and wanted to check up on my cute son,” he explained with a smile, watching from the corner of his eye as his wife left the room for a bit. Lambo chased after Maman then, figuring she was getting the food. 

At that moment, Iemitsu’s expression turned a bit more serious and he focused his attention on the boys. “I hear you’ve been having a hard time lately, Tsuna.” He frowned, referring to Tsuna’s recent hospitalization. 

Hearing his dad’s words, Tsuna frowned and his fingers twitched towards his shoulder, but he justified the motion by grabbing on to the strap of his bag. “I’m fine,” he said quickly, taking off his shoes and dropping his bag against the wall. It’s been nearly a week since that happened. Why hadn’t he shown up earlier? 

Reborn walked past them without a word, leaving Tsuna to his father. 

Gokudera shifted on his feet and looked down. He felt tense at the topic of conversation—he was still angry at himself for letting the Tenth get hurt like that—and uneasy, since he felt as if he was intruding in the first place. 

Iemitsu’s eyes softened slightly at his son’s reaction, and there was a small sad smile lingering on his lips, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he took a long sip from his beer before getting up to his feet. “That’s my boy,” Iemitsu laughed boisterously as he swung his arm around his son’s neck and pulled him close. “It’s good to hear you’re not letting something like this get you down.” 

Tsuna tensed at the arm around his neck and grimaced at the smell of beer as he was pulled close to his father. “Get off!” he ducked under Iemitsu’s arm and pushed him back. He shifted closer to Gokudera, who looked extremely uncomfortable at being stuck in the middle of this, and looked down, his lips set in a tense frown. 

Iemitsu stumbled. “Whoa!” He laughed slightly as he struggled to regain his balance. “Now, now, Tsuna. Don’t be like that! Come over here and give your Papa a hug,” he said, and began to lumber over to his son again. 

It was only due to Nana’s voice that he stopped in his tracks. 

“Food’s ready~” Nana’s voice called out from the kitchen, accompanied by the cheers of the children, who began to rush over towards the dining table not a moment later. Iemitsu’s face lit up at that announcement, looking childishly excited as he too headed towards the table. “I’m coming, dear!” he called back to his wife before heading into the dining room. 

Tsuna let out a breath of relief. He turned to look at Gokudera apologetically. He was embarrassed for his father’s behavior. “Sorry you had to see that,” he muttered. 

“It’s… fine, Tenth,” Gokudera murmured. 

The two headed into the dining room which was already busy with the amount of people in the house. 

Bianchi walked into the room then, helping Nana bring in the food. She blinked before smiling at the sight of her little brother. “Hayato! I didn’t know you were coming for dinner,” she said, putting the food down and hurrying over to hug her little brother. 

Tsuna blanched at the sight of Gokudera’s big sister before looking at the food. The color and the smell seemed normal… His mother had done the cooking… Thank god. 

Gokudera blanched at the sight of his sister’s face as well. However, he didn’t even get a chance to double over in pain before he was pulled into a quick hug. The Italian teen’s face was as pale as his hair, and his stomach began to twinge queasily as he felt his sister begin to pull away. Without thinking, he wrapped his own arms around his sister, hugging her back in order to prevent looking at her face. He threw a pained look to the Tenth over his sister’s shoulder, dreading the moment the hug would end. 

Bianchi smiled happily as she hugged Gokudera tenderly, mistaking Gokudera's fearful cling for affection. 

Tsuna caught the look and looked around quickly for a solution. He spotted it. After grabbing a pair of sunglasses that looked like they belonged to his mom, he hurried over to Bianchi. "L-look! G-Gokudera-kun got you something, Bianchi!" he said, quickly putting them on her. Bianchi pulled away and pushed the sunglasses up a bit before smiling and happily pulling Gokudera close again. "Oh, Hayato! Thank you!" 

Gokudera sighed in relief. With the sunglasses in place, Gokudera’s stomach settled down. However, as his sister pulled him into another hug, a different kind of uncomfortable feeling washed over him. “A-aneki..!” he complained to her quietly, feeling embarrassed. 

Eventually, everyone settled down around the table. Gokudera sat between his sister and the Tenth. 

The dinner went by surprisingly well. Bianchi, so pleased by Gokudera's “gift,” kept the sunglasses on throughout the dinner. She asked Gokudera how he was holding up and if he needed anything. But on top of verbally fussing over Gokudera, she physically fussed over Reborn who was on her other side. She picked up a napkin and cleaned his face when he got dirty, smiling fondly every time. 

Tsuna enjoyed the dinner. It was actually pretty nice. Even with Lambo, I-Pin, and Fuuta fighting over the food, even with his father laughing loudly over the small talk, the table felt very complete. Especially since Gokudera was there. 

Gokudera enjoyed the dinner a lot too. It was nice, eating like this. He always loved eating at the Tenth’s house. It made his life feel a little fuller, a little less lonely. And today that feeling seemed to increase more than ever. Maybe it was due to his sister fussing over him (the sunglasses helped), or maybe it was because he no longer felt the need to put his guard up around everyone here. He felt welcome. Safe. 

And then Bianchi brought out the tea. A purple tinge and a horrible odor wafted from each cup. 

Gokudera froze at the sight of it. “Ugh,” he groaned instinctively, his hand already reaching for his stomach. Gokudera’s face turned a little green at the sight, but luckily for him it was late in the evening already, and he had a good excuse to leave before he was forced to drink that monstrosity. “I need to get going,” he whispered in panic to his boss as he stood up. He began to say his goodbyes to everyone. 

Bianchi handed out the tea with a smile before looking at Gokudera. "Oh, okay. Don't work too hard, Hayato," she told him softly as she brought up her hand to give him a slight wave. 

“I won’t.” Gokudera nodded to his sister in acknowledgement. 

Tsuna stood as well. "Um, I'll walk you to the door, Gokudera-kun," he offered with a small smile. 

Gokudera smiled back, though his expression was a little demure as they headed towards the entrance. “Thanks for inviting me over, Tenth,” he told him, really meaning it. He had had a great time tonight and wished he didn’t have to go. 

Tsuna lead him out the door and smiled softly at Gokudera. "It was really nice having you over," he told him with a content smile on his face. 

“Yeah, this was nice,” Gokudera agreed, still somewhat surprised he had had such a good time. His visits to the Tenth’s house were usually much more chaotic than today had been. 

“Well, take care of yourself, Tenth,” Gokudera said, and rubbed the back of his head slightly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Tsuna smiled at Gokudera’s words. He knew for a fact that if Gokudera hadn’t been here today, he would have had a horrible time at dinner. The favor he tried to give him turned out to benefit himself as well. “Yeah, you, too. See you tomorrow.” Tsuna lifted his hand in a small wave. He shifted on his feet, watching Gokudera mirror the gesture before disappearing past the wall. 

Tsuna stayed outside the door, watching the empty sidewalk as a sigh escaped his lips. Gokudera had been with him all day and now that he was gone, he felt rooted to the spot. He felt Gokudera’s name rise up in his chest, wanting to call him back, but he knew he couldn’t. Walking back into his house was much more difficult alone. 


	12. Target 11: Peaceful Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We realize that this chapter is a bit shorter than normal, but we couldn't split it up any other way. So as compensation, this week we'll release another chapter on Friday. Afterwards, we'll continue with our regular Wednesday updates. Thanks for reading and don't forget to comment!

* * *

 

For the next few days, life continued on as peacefully as it could when one was part of the Mafia. 

This, of course, meant that it wasn’t long before the Vongola Guardians were once again called to Namimori Shrine. Iemitsu stood in the middle of it all, looking serious and professional despite the fact that he was still dressed in his construction work uniform. Reborn stood next to Iemitsu. His hands were in his pockets and Leon was sitting as silently as always on the brim of his hat. 

Tsuna walked to the steps of Namimori Shrine and sighed slightly, wondering if something was wrong. They had the rings, so what else did they possibly need to do? This summon by Reborn had him nervous and on edge. 

"Yo, Tsuna!" Yamamoto jogged over and grinned slightly. "I got the kid's message to come here. Is everything alright?" 

"I hope so," Tsuna said, giving Yamamoto a small smile. 

Lambo, who hadn’t woken up yet that morning, snored quietly in Tsuna’s arms, drooling the whole ride up to the shrine. Tsuna grimaced slightly at this and used a handkerchief, putting it next to Lambo's head so he wouldn't drool all over his sleeves. 

“Oi! Sawada!” Ryohei called out from the top of the steps as he waved his arms excitedly in greeting. “I got the message from Master Pao Pao this morning!” he announced at the top of his lungs, as if they wouldn’t be able to hear him otherwise despite the fact that they were only a couple steps away. 

“Do you have to be so loud this early in the morning?” Gokudera let out a disgruntled growl as he made his way up the stairs as well, feeling irritatingly tired since he hadn’t managed to sleep much the previous night. 

“What was that, octopus head?!?” Ryohei shouted back challengingly, but Gokudera merely ignored him. Upon spotting the Tenth, however, the silver-haired teen brightened up marginally. “Good morning, Tenth!” he called out cheerily as he jogged up quickly to catch up to him. 

Tsuna sweat dropped at the mention of Master Pao Pao before turning when he heard Gokudera's voice. With everyone there, Tsuna felt so much more at ease. His nervousness seemed to ebb away. 

"Good morning, Gokudera-kun," he said with a small smile. 

Gokudera beamed the Tenth a smile and gave Yamamoto an acknowledging nod. 

The group got to the top of the shrine and Tsuna blinked in surprise at the sight of his father. "Dad?” His lips pulled down into a frown. “What are you doing here?” 

Iemitsu couldn’t help but to break his serious composure to give his son a small grin, despite the fact that they had seen each other not that long ago. “Hehe, you’re about to find out,” he explained vaguely before giving the clearing a small onceover. “Well, looks like everyone’s here, so I’ll get started,” he began, his expression becoming serious once more. 

"Ah, wait!" Tsuna spoke up. "Hibari-san and Chrome still aren't here!" 

"I'm right here." Hibari was in fact sitting on a branch in a nearby tree. He sounded annoyed. "I was going to skip out but the Bronco wouldn't stop nagging," he muttered, looking to the side. 

"I'm here too, Boss!" Chrome jogged up the stairs, clinging to her trident and panting slightly. "I'm sorry for being late." 

"N-no! It’s okay, Chrome!" Tsuna gave the girl a reassuring smile. 

Reborn nodded with approval. "Go ahead and continue, Iemitsu," he said, looking at the older Sawada. 

Iemitsu nodded, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked over all the Guardians before finally settling his gaze on his son. “As you all know by now, Tsuna’s position in the Mafia world make him a huge target. Although the recent incident which landed him in the hospital was unavoidable, it served to remind the Ninth that Tsuna is in need of even more protection than what’s currently available. However, the Ninth and I have agreed that Tsuna should continue his education here in Japan, and bringing over men from Italy wouldn’t be beneficial when Tsuna already has his own Guardians here. Which brings me to my point…” Here Iemitsu paused to call Basil, whom had been waiting by one of the trees nearby, over. 

Basil walked over and gave a polite bow to his Master, before turning to the Guardians. "Please, if everyone would put on their rings," he requested with a polite smile. Tsuna held Lambo with one hand as he pulled the ring out from his necklace with some difficulty. Hibari, Chrome and Gokudera already had theirs on. Yamamoto and Ryohei, on the other hand, had to pat their pockets a few times before they found their rings. They proceeded to put them on. 

Basil smiled and nodded once everyone had their rings. "Now, I'm sure many of you have noticed that when Sawada-dono fights, his Deathperation Flames ignite. Mine do as well. But what you might not be aware of is that you all have Deathperation Flames as well." 

Tsuna's eyes widened slightly at this and suddenly had a horrifying thought of Gokudera in Dying Will mode. 

Gokudera’s eyes widened as well at the revelation and he looked down at his ring curiously, as if wondering how to make it work. 

Ryohei, on the other hand, looked completely confused by this new information. “Huh?” he uttered loudly as he tilted his head and held up his ring. “Deathperation Flames?” he asked, which got him an irritated glare from Gokudera that he paid no attention to. 

Basil nodded with infinite patience. "If you would please watch, I will demonstrate." He pulled a small, blue-jeweled ring from his pocket and placed it on his middle finger. Within moments, the ring lit up with blue flames identical to the ones that showed up on his forehead when he fought. "These flames come in many different types. Sawada-dono has the Sky Flame. Everyone else is classified by your Guardian names. Gokudera-dono has Storm Flames. Yamamoto-dono, Rain. Sasagawa-dono, Sun. And so on," Basil explained with a smile. 

"These flames can be used in several ways, we are beginning to discover." Reborn took over the explanation then. "They have a high combat value, so learning how to use your flames will be very useful." 

Tsuna listened to this explanation with wide eyes. He looked at each of his Guardians before catching the glint of the Lightning Ring in Lambo's hair. "W-Wait! Reborn! Does that mean Lambo has flames too?!" 

Reborn nodded. "Of course. He is a Guardian after all." 

"Every human is capable of summoning the Deathperation Flames," Basil explained with a polite smile. "It just depends on how strong your resolve is." 

“So how do we get them to work?” Gokudera asked, as straightforward as usual. He took a glance in the direction of the lawnhead, wondering if he had caught any of that. 

“THAT LOOKS EXTREMELY AWESOME!” Ryohei cheered with a wide grin on his face as he stared at the flames sprouting from Basil’s ring. He hadn’t gotten much of that explanation, but nevertheless, it was something to make him stronger, right? 

Yamamoto was also listening intently, watching Basil's blue flames with a sense of familiarity. 

"We will be assigning you tutors soon enough. They're all on their way," Reborn said with a scheming smile. "Until then, you should practice concentrating on your rings. The Vongola Rings aren't just hunks of metal. By focusing your resolve, you'll be able to summon your flames." 

"Resolve?" Yamamoto tilted his head slightly before looking at his ring. He then grinned. "Sounds fun!" 

“Hmm.” Gokudera looked intently at his ring. _Resolve, huh?_ he thought, and immediately his mind flashed to the haunting memory of the Tenth, bleeding in his arms. He frowned. _I have to get stronger,_ he reminded himself, his mouth set into a firm line of determination. He glanced at the Tenth out of the corner of his eye, clenching his fist tightly as he made this vow, and at these thoughts, the Storm Flame burst forth from his ring. 

“Whoa!” he cried out slightly startled. He glanced at his ring with bewilderment for a second before his lips split into a huge grin. “Look, Tenth! I did it!” Gokudera announced excitedly, his gaze switching back and forth from the Tenth and his ring. 

At Gokudera's shout, all eyes were on him. Tsuna's eyes widened slightly, staring at Gokudera's flames. "Gokudera-kun! That's amazing! So fast!" he said in astonishment. 

"Awesome, Gokudera!" Yamamoto grinned before looking at his own ring, not wanting to fall far behind. He thought for a moment about his resolve. 

 _We are Mafia._ Yamamoto frowned for a brief moment and he knew his resolve. He had to make sure to protect his friends. He had to protect Tsuna and Gokudera so that nothing bad could ever happen to them again. It was only moments before a soft blue flame erupted from his own ring. "Yosh!" He grinned. 

"Amazing..." Basil stared at the two in astonishment. They got it so quickly! "Is this the power of the Vongola Rings?" 

"No." Reborn smiled with confidence. "This is the strength of the Tenth Generation Vongola Guardians." 

“Heh.” Iemitsu looked proudly at his son’s Guardians, but more specifically his son. “With this, I can finally rest at ease.” He smiled, his serious expression softening as he let out a long loud yawn. “Well, I’m heading back to the house. Nana’s waiting after all!” He laughed boisterously before taking his leave. He really wanted to enjoy his last few days with his wife, since he’d have to return to Italy very soon. 

Meanwhile, Ryohei was staring at his ring intently, wanting flames to come out of it as well. “I don’t really get it, but if it’s something about resolve, then I can definitely think of some extreme ones!” he exclaimed as he pumped a fist up into the air. The sparkling light of the Sun Flames activated as he did so, and Ryohei looked proud and content at this reaction. 

Tsuna watched as Gokudera, then Yamamoto, and Ryohei all lit up their rings. He looked at his own ring. His... resolve? What was the thing he most wanted? But as he stared at the Vongola Ring on his finger, the idea rejected itself. He _didn't_ want to be part of the Mafia. It was no surprise that as much as he concentrated, the flame wouldn't light. 

Tsuna's concentration was broken when Hibari decided to speak up. 

"I'm leaving." Hibari jumped down from the tree, becoming slightly annoyed. He left the Namimori Shrine in favor of going to his office to work for a little while or take a nap on the roof. 

Gokudera rolled his eyes at the Cloud Guardian’s actions. “As usual.” He huffed, before looking back proudly at his ring. 

It was then that Lambo finally woke up. It wasn’t a surprise since everyone else _had_ been talking rather loudly. He yawned noisily and shifted in Tsuna’s arms before plopping down to the floor. As he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, he noticed the shiny flames surrounding him and his eyes widened in amazement. “Pretty lights!” he exclaimed and began jumping from one foot to the other in excitement. 

Tsuna watched as Lambo jumped out of his arms and smiled slightly at the other's reaction. 

"Ah! Boss!" Chrome held out her hand where a small, soft Mist Flame showed on her ring. That entire time she had been concentrating, perhaps communicating with Mukuro. 

"That's great, Chrome!" Tsuna smiled. Though inwardly, he felt hopeless. Hibari hadn't done it quite yet but it was obvious that the Cloud Guardian could probably do it whenever he wanted. Lambo was just a kid. Other than that, all of his Guardians had each ignited their flames. Tsuna looked back at his ring and tried concentrating again. The ring didn't react at all. 

It was then that Gokudera noticed the Tenth’s predicament. He frowned for a second, recognizing the Tenth’s helpless expression. He wondered what he could do to make it go away. 

Luckily, Lambo provided a great distraction. 

“Tsunaaa! I’m hungry!” Lambo complained loudly, holding his stomach to emphasize his point. It seemed that not even the pretty lights could entertain him when he was hungry. 

Tsuna looked at the small Lightning Guardian and smiled slightly. "Alright, alright. Let's go get something to eat." He looked around, extending the invitation to everyone who was there with a smile. 

“I want takoyaki!” Lambo demanded. 

Yamamoto grinned at the suggestion. "Sounds good!" he said happily, putting his hands behind his head. 

"Are you coming, Chrome?" Tsuna looked at her, though he already suspected what her answer would be. 

"Ah... I should probably get going, Boss," she responded uncomfortably, gripping her trident nervously. "I'm sorry." She bowed quickly and turned to leave. 

Tsuna sighed slightly and nodded, watching her go. He turned to look at Basil but noticed he had taken his leave as well. _Probably after dad,_ Tsuna thought, a frown marring his lips for a moment before he shook it off. 

“Tch,” Gokudera scowled a bit at the girl’s antisocial response. Though he couldn’t really begrudge her, having been in her position before. He shook his head lightly. “Shall we then?” He smiled at the Tenth, happy that his boss’ unhappy expression had disappeared. 

“Hehe! Let’s go, let’s GO!” Lambo giggled happily as he crawled back up to Tsuna’s arms. 

“Sorry, Sawada! I’ll be heading a different way from here.” Ryohei grinned at the rest of the group before swiftly jogging off. “See you guys later!” he called back towards them as he left. 

"Oh, alright! Bye, onii-san!" Tsuna waved as Ryohei ran off. It seemed like it was just going to be Lambo, Gokudera, Yamamoto, and himself. He held Lambo with a small smile. "Alright, let's go then," he said, heading for the stairs. 

"Don't stay out too late," Reborn called, watching Tsuna with a thoughtful expression. 

Yamamoto waved to Reborn before following Tsuna. He smiled happily. "It’s been a long time since we've gone out like this," he commented, feeling a small surge of nostalgia welling up inside him. 

“What are you getting all sentimental about, idiot?” Gokudera rolled his eyes, but he smiled as well. 

Yamamoto just laughed at Gokudera's comment and Tsuna smiled as well. With everything that's been going on, it was nice to take it easy and just go out for once. 

It wasn't long before they arrived at the takoyaki stand. Tsuna paid for two orders, one for himself and one for Lambo. Yamamoto, though, was quick to pay for himself as well as for Gokudera. 

“I-idiot! What are you doing? I can pay for myself!” Gokudera bristled. 

Yamamoto laughed slightly. "I know! I know!" he said with a smile as he handed Gokudera the takoyaki anyway. 

Gokudera let out an irritated grumble, but ended up accepting the food. 

Lambo quickly gobbled up his own share with gusto. “Takoyaki is delicious! Lambo-san wants more! More, MORE!” he exclaimed between bites. He was eating so messily, he got more food on his clothes than in his mouth. 

"Maa, Lambo! Eat slower! You're going to get a stomach ache!" Tsuna scolded the five-year-old and began cleaning his face. When the little Bovino finished with his share, Tsuna went to buy another order. 

Gokudera noticed, and he quickly set his food aside and rushed to his boss’ side. “Let me take care of it, Tenth!” he insisted. After all, he was the only one who hadn’t paid yet. 

"Ah, it’s okay, Gokudera-kun! Really," Tsuna said with a small smile. "Mom gave me some money and she won't mind paying me back if I spent it on Lambo." 

Gokudera continued to insist. “The Tenth shouldn’t have to waste money on the idiot cow,” he grumbled, shooting a small glare at the greedy kid. 

“Stupidera! Lambo-san wants more takoyaki!” said kid whined. 

Tsuna sighed and shot Gokudera a small humoring smile, knowing at this point that he couldn't change the other’s mind. "Well, alright. Thank you, Gokudera-kun," he said before looking at Lambo. "Be patient, Lambo! It’s coming!" 

“Hurry!” Lambo whined some more, wiggling around on the bench. He was inching towards one of Yamamoto’s as well. 

Gokudera scowled at the greedy brat before turning back to the Tenth. “No problem!” he said and beamed at his boss before paying for the order and handing it over to the Tenth. 

Yamamoto gave one of his takoyaki to Lambo without a problem as he waited for Gokudera and Tsuna to return. 

Tsuna smiled to Gokudera before returning with the second order of takoyaki, giving it to Lambo. "Eat a bit neater, Lambo. Mom will be mad at you if you dirty your clothes too much." Tsuna, of course, knew it wasn't true, but perhaps it'd give Lambo a bit more incentive to make sure the food made it to his mouth instead of all over his clothes. 

“Hmph!” Lambo scowled slightly at the reprimand but he did eat the food slower this time. 

Soon enough, they were all done with their meals. 

“Ahhh~!” Lambo let out a content sigh. “I’m full!” he proclaimed with a huge smile. 

Gokudera rolled his eyes at this but couldn’t help but to smile, feeling very relaxed. The four of them continued hanging out of the rest of the day, eventually dropping Lambo off at home until it was just the three of them. They stayed together until nightfall, not knowing that soon, their peaceful days would come to an end again.

 


	13. Target 12: Spirited Away

Hibari was lying down on the roof of the school, looking up at the sky with unemotional eyes. He was mulling over everything that they had said in the Namimori Shrine, especially about the part where that baby said the flames had combat value... Hibari put his hand up and stared at the ring on his finger for a while before sitting up and closing his fist. After a moment, a very small, barely noticeable purple flame appeared before flickering away.

"Hm..." Hibari stared at the ring for a moment before leaning back on his hands, just continuing to mull it over. Above him, Hibird fluttered around, happily singing the Namimori anthem. It was soothing. 

"So this is where you were, Kyouya." Dino stepped out into the roof with a slightly amused smile. "How did the meeting go?" he asked as he approached the other, coming to stand nearby him.  

Hibari briefly glanced at Dino when he heard his voice before turning his gaze back to the sky. "They talked about some flames. The herbivores got it surprisingly fast," he said with an as-a-matter-of-factly tone. 

“Ooh?” Dino’s lips twitched at Kyouya’s tone. “Let’s see how you did, Kyo-u-ya~” Dino grinned as he crouched down to where his lover was. Inwardly though, he was concerned. _Reborn’s teaching them how to handle the flames already? Because of Tsuna’s injury? Or…?_  

Hibari looked at Dino, slightly annoyed at the other's tone, but he lifted up his hand and showed the small flickering flame that would show up for a few seconds. 

Dino’s eyebrow rose in surprise. If there was anyone that had unlimited resolve, it was Kyouya… 

 _Ah!_ Dino came to a sudden realization and chuckled slightly. “Heh, I’ll teach you something useful.” Dino smirked before deliberately reaching over to ruffle the other’s hair. “In order to make the ring flame bigger, you have to be pissed off!” he announced before scuttling away. 

Hibari growled slightly at this and stood, whipping out his tonfa. The Cloud Flame blazed brightly from his ring as he glared at Dino. Though when he registered the blonde's last statement, he looked down in mild shock at the large flame. "Hm..." He smirked. 

“Heh. You see?” Dino grinned as he put his hands behind his head. “These flames will be the dominating factor in future Mafia battles, you know,” he instructed the other, slipping back into his tutor mode as he did so. But a second barely passed before Dino’s gaze glanced down at Kyouya’s stomach. His smile slipped away and his expression turned serious. “I doubt anything serious will happen any time soon, but...” Dino paused as he remembered what he had been arguing about with Romario yesterday. He frowned. “Well, if anything happens, just leave it to me. I won’t be going back to Italy.” _Not for a while. Not as long as I can help it._

Hibari saw the glance to his stomach and his fingers twitched. He scowled. Dino's increasing overprotectiveness was becoming annoying. His grip on his tonfa tightened again. "Don't make me break your jaw."

Dino had to prevent himself from smiling at the threat—it wasn’t as if he didn’t believe the other would follow through his promise, but the familiarity of the declaration made something in him ease. Dino’s lips twitched up a bit as he brought up his hands in surrender. “Alright, I get it. You can take care of yourself. I’m still staying though,” he insisted. 

Hibari growled again because he could see the infuriating smile. He knew Dino was just trying to humor him. However, he relented. He put his tonfa away and glared at Dino as he crossed his arms. "If you're so intent on staying, we should move into my house. More space." 

Dino blinked dumbly at Kyouya’s statement. “Your… house?” he repeated in confusion. 

Hibari looked at Dino as if he was stupid. As much as the other claimed to know about him, he didn't know the most basic thing? "Yes. My house. It’s a bit farther away from the school than my apartment. From my apartment, I can walk to school. I'd have to use my motorcycle if I go from my house," he explained offhandedly as he walked past Dino and headed for the door. 

“You have a house?” Dino asked again in a bewildered tone as he inwardly tried to recall information about said house. It had been almost half a year, after all, since he had looked at Kyouya’s files. Dino had only given them a brief onceover that time, since he had mostly wanted to learn more about Kyouya on his own. 

Dino blinked slowly once more as he finished registering Kyouya’s words. “You… want me to move in with you there?” he asked him slowly, as if making sure, and with each word, a grin began to grow on Dino’s face. 

This would be the first time either of them had “officially” put any acknowledgement on their relationship. Of course, it was normal that Dino slept over at Kyouya’s apartment most days of the week, but he had never brought any of the stuff he had in his hotel except for the occasional spare change of clothes. 

Seeing that grin on Dino's face almost made Hibari regret his words. With Dino moving into his house, things would be a lot more... permanent. The realization that he didn't really care about that little detail bothered Hibari. "That's what I said," he muttered, shaking his head slightly. "The house is big enough for Romario to stay as well." He hoped Romario would stay. Dino would destroy his house otherwise. 

Faster than either of them could blink, Dino was suddenly at Kyouya’s side, wrapping his arms around the other’s torso and hiding his grin in the crook of his lover’s neck. He didn’t say anything at that moment, simply holding on to the prefect as a fluttering feeling of happiness danced within him. 

Hibari let his arms hang at his sides as he sighed. He was used to the blonde's clinginess, although, since Dino was exceptionally happy this time, Hibari wasn't sure how long it would take for him to let go this time. So the prefect gave Dino a few moments before grabbing the back of the blonde's coat and pulling him back. "I need to go to the apartment and pick up a few things," he announced. "Also, we'll need to get you a yukata." 

Dino let himself be pulled off. “Yukata?” he asked with a tilt of his head, although the smile never left his lips. 

"Yes. That's what you'll be wearing at the house," Hibari informed the other before turning and heading down the stairs to leave the empty school. Hibari didn't bother to look back since Dino would most likely follow him. 

“Heee, I’ve always wanted to try Japanese clothes.” Dino grinned as he followed after his lover. He brought out his phone at that moment, texting Romario the news as well as ordering him to pull up the car so he could drive them. 

Hibari sighed once again. Dino was very giddy. It wasn't hard to understand why but Hibari hoped that the blonde would be able to contain himself. When they arrived at the school gates, Hibari walked over to the car he knew would be waiting for them and got inside, giving a brief greeting to Romario. 

“Hey!” Dino greeted his right-hand man with a blinding grin as he moved to sit next to Kyouya. 

Romario greeted both of them in return before asking, “Where to?” 

“Kyouya’s place. We need to go pick up his things,” Dino told him, although he tilted his head in Kyouya’s direction to double-check. 

Hibari gave a nod of confirmation and looked out the tinted window of the car. As his mind wandered, his hand did something that he had recently gotten into the habit of. Hibari, with one finger, slowly traced circles on his stomach, a thoughtful expression on his face. 

Dino’s bright grin melted into a soft smile as he noted his lover’s actions. He watched the other quietly for a while, feeling warm and happy, but his expression slowly became serious as his thoughts began to drift back to the problem at hand. “Hey, Kyouya…” The words slipped out before he could help them. He wanted to talk to his lover about the whole Italy situation. Though Dino wasn’t planning to go back until the baby was born, he wasn’t sure how this would work out afterwards. Would Kyouya even consider going to Italy? Dino would hate to be separated from both him and their child. Of course, if Kyouya would stay, Dino would do his best to visit, but… 

Dino suddenly glanced at Romario in the front seat, feeling uncomfortable at his presence. He didn’t want him to be here for this conversation, not yet. Dino frowned slightly and shook his head. “No, never mind.” The blonde bit his lip. 

Hibari looked at Dino when he called him, though after a moment of annoying silence, he frowned at the next statement. "Don't call my name unless you want something," Hibari said irritably. 

Dino flashed the other a quick smile. “Sorry,” he said. He tried to brush off his earlier mood. Thankfully, they had already arrived at Kyouya’s apartment. “Shall we go?” he asked, his excitement beginning to return. 

Hibari didn’t reply. He simply got out of the car and headed up to his apartment. He walked over to his bedroom and pulled a bag from his closet, packing away a few clothes and books he wanted to take. It wasn't a lot, but he probably wouldn't return to the apartment for a while. Hibari sighed for a moment, realizing he hadn’t been to his house in a long time. There would be a lot of cleaning to do. Hibari considered calling the Disciplinary Committee over to do it, but the thought of them crowding around displeased him. 

Once he was done, Hibari put the bag on his shoulder. "I'll tell Romario how to get to the house," he said simply. 

Dino, who had been watching Kyouya from the entrance, made a noise of acknowledgement at that. When they were back in the car, he mentioned, “Ah, Romario. Once we get there, get the rest of the Family to bring my stuff over, okay?” 

Romario nodded, and after getting the directions, he began driving towards the prefect’s house. 

Hibari's house was like a blast from the past. It was traditional in every sense of the word. Hibari couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of his Home Sweet Home. He led the way up the small path, already looking more relaxed than he had been at his apartment.

“Whoa!” Dino followed Kyouya into the house, glancing around the complex with wide, impressed eyes. He took in the sight of the wooden floors, long hallways and sliding doors with a sense of appreciation. There was something truly beautiful about this place. “This place is incredible!” he said. Although it was not as big as his mansion back in Italy, it was definitely equally as impressive. There was a regal appearance to this place that made Dino wonder if Kyouya was actually part royalty. 

Hibari couldn't help but smile ever so slightly at Dino's impression of his house. He took great pride in it and enjoyed being here very much. He was glad to be home. Hibari stepped forward and began nudging his shoes off at the entrance before turning to Dino. "Take off your shoes," he said to the blonde before moving over to slip on a pair of slippers. He indicated to Dino that he should do the same before stepping on to the wooden floor of his house. 

Upon hearing Kyouya’s request, Dino blinked, a little surprised. Though Dino had already gotten into the habit of following the custom, he still forgot to do so at times, especially in Hibari’s apartment. Hibari didn't usually mind, but it was clear he had stricter rules in his house. _Why am I not surprised?_ Dino thought with a small smile as he moved to comply with the other’s instructions. 

Hibari didn’t wait for the other. "I'll be right back," he said, before leaving down a hallway and disappearing into a room. Hibari put his bag down and opened up his closet, looking through his yukata. It didn't take long for him to pick a simple navy blue one with black trimmings. After he finished putting it on, he picked out a dark green one and walked out to where Dino was. "Here. Try this on," he said, offering him the green yukata. He'd have to take him to get a couple of yukata of his own soon. 

“Um…” Dino couldn’t help but to stare transfixed at the yukata his lover was wearing. He looked so… stunning. Dino’s cheeks colored lightly without his permission. It took him a second before he finally reached over for the offered yukata. “I’ll go change.” He laughed a little sheepishly at his own reaction, but leaned in to brush his lips lightly against the other’s before heading off to the room Kyouya had walked out of. 

But since Dino didn’t really know how to wear the clothes correctly, he did a messy job of it. 

Hibari waited patiently until Dino came back out before walking over to him. He wordlessly fixed the yukata, noting it was a size to small. The color suited him though. Hibari let out a sound of approval and nodded before turning on his heel. "I'm going to make lunch," he declared. 

“Ooh~” Dino grinned pleasantly at the announcement. While Dino’s favourite food in Japan was definitely Maman’s, Kyouya’s was definitely a close second. “Can I help?” he asked the other as he followed him around the house. 

"No." Hibari shot the other down without looking back at him. It was only him and Dino here, after all. If Dino decided to try and help, there was no doubt that the Bucking Horse would end up burning his house down even if he told him to just make a sandwich. Dino's clumsiness would find a way. Hibari started up the tea pot before looking through the pantry to see what he could make. 

Dino sighed good-naturedly, but stayed put. He watched the other work as he sat down at the table. “But this place really is amazing, huh...” Dino commented with a pleased smile as he continued looking around the house from his spot. He really wouldn’t mind raising their kid here… 

Hibari’s lips twitched up at Dino's comment, obviously pleased, but he didn’t say anything in response. 

Halfway through finishing his lunch preparation, the tea was done. Hibari served it into two cups and set them both down on the table before returning to the food. Minutes after, he returned with two bowls of rice, two bowls of miso soup, and two nicely grilled fish. He placed the plates down and knelt down across from Dino on the table. "Itadakimasu," he muttered, putting his hands together briefly before beginning to eat. 

“This looks delicious!” Dino hummed happily, reaching for his chopsticks before saying a thanks of his own. “Mmm. Tastes delicious too.” Dino let out a happy sigh as he ate, though, naturally he couldn’t help but to make a slight mess of himself. Though his hold on his chopsticks had improved, a few grains of rice still managed to slip past him. 

Hibari rolled his eyes at this display, but he didn’t say anything. He merely nudged some napkins over to the other and continued to eat. He couldn’t help but to be inwardly pleased that the other enjoyed his food however. It wasn’t often Hibari cooked like this, but being back in this house made him want to. He was glad he hadn’t lost his touch. 

Dino let out a satisfied sigh as he finished his meal. He thanked the other once more for the food before pushing his plate aside. He leaned his chin on his hand then, staring at Kyouya with a slight smile. “So, shall we continue the tour?” he asked, wondering what else there was to see. He was particularly interested in seeing their new room, especially since he expected Kyouya to have some important personal belongings there. Dino was really curious about what he would see, especially since he had originally been surprised and disappointed that Kyouya’s apartment was so bare. Schoolbooks aside, the place looked practically unlived! 

Hibari took another sip of his tea and looked at Dino when he made this request. He pulled out his phone and checked the time before sending a text to Kusakabe. He then stood up and sighed. "Follow me," he told the blonde after putting the dishes in the sink to wash later. He led Dino through the house, showing him the various rooms as well as the back garden which Hibari took the most pride in. Finally, they entered the bedroom. It didn’t look much different from the one in Hibari’s apartment. In fact, aside from a couple of decorations that were clearly part of the house’s motif, it looked exactly the same. 

Dino was disappointed. He was, of course, impressed with the rest of the house, but the lack of personal belongings bothered him. He really should have expected this though. _I have got to get Kyouya to lighten up one of these days_ , he vowed. 

Dino was actually going to begin voicing this desire, but he was cut off by the sound of the doorbell. “Huh, that was quick,” Dino commented, thinking it was his right-hand man. 

It wasn’t. 

"Hibari-san!" Kusakabe looked up and greeted his boss with a respectful bow. He was switching his shoes at the entrance. He was also wearing a black yukata. Dino stared at him with bemusement from behind his lover. 

"I didn't know you were moving back to your house," Kusakabe said as he handed off the files Hibari had asked him to bring. 

"It was a last minute decision," Hibari informed him, taking the files and allowing Kusakabe to enter. 

“Hey, Kusakabe! Long time no see!” Dino greeted the other with a slight smile as he stepped into view. 

"Ah, Dino-san! It’s nice to see you again!" Kusakabe gave a polite bow to Dino as Hibari walked off, looking through the files. "Are you the reason Hibari-san moved back here?" he asked. 

Dino rubbed the back of his neck and let out a slightly awkward laugh at the question. “I guess you could say that…” He grinned sheepishly, glancing at Kyouya out of the corner of his eye. He had a feeling Kyouya hadn’t yet informed Kusakabe of the news…

Kusakabe immediately knew that there was more to the situation than he saw. He looked over at Hibari and it took a moment before Hibari realized that he had two people staring at him. The prefect sighed slightly and figured he'd have to tell him sooner or later. It wasn't that he didn't trust him with the information. It was just hard to say. So, of course, Hibari ended up saying it in the only way he knew how. "I'm pregnant," Hibari said bluntly, looking at his right-hand man. 

Kusakabe stared for a moment. "I... didn't know you were one to joke, Hibari-san," he said with a slight hesitant laugh. 

"It’s no joke." Hibari then pointed to Dino. "It’s his fault." 

Dino immediately gave his lover a protesting glare. After all, it was really Reborn’s fault that this was even possible. He gave Kusakabe a helpless shrug, however, and didn’t deny it. 

“It’s true.” It was then that Romario finally showed up to the house, the rest of the men behind him carrying a few boxes. “It’s been over a week already,” Romario informed the vice chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, putting a reassuring hand on the other’s shoulder. 

This was either a very elaborate prank, he was dreaming, or this was all actually true. Kusakabe had no choice but to believe it, especially when Romario came in and confirmed it all. "Hibari-san, do you need me to stay here with you?" he asked, walking over to the prefect. 

"That won't be necessary." Hibari shook his head, looking back at the files. "I'll need you to be at the school, especially later on when the baby's..." Hibari paused for a second as if to realize it himself. "Bigger..." 

"Ah… Yes, of course, Hibari-san. You just tell me what you need done," Kusakabe said, and Hibari simply nodded in response. 

“We’ll be counting on you, Kusakabe.” Dino smiled gratefully at the vice chairman before turning to address his own men. “You guys can leave those boxes in Kyouya’s room. I’ll sort them out later,” he told them, before instructing them how to get to the room. 

Romario nodded and stepped aside so the men could go. He stayed by his boss’ side and handed him the turtle he had been carrying in his pocket. “He’s been missing you.” Romario smiled at his boss, who grinned happily as Enzo slowly crawled on to his shoulder. 

Hibari watched Dino’s men move around his house with narrowed eyes. He wasn't used to having so many people in his house. All this crowding made him feel irritated, but he had to remind himself that this was for the best. Dino's men were ten times more competent than their boss. Things would be faster this way. 

That didn’t make it any better. 

As if reading his boss's thoughts, Kusakabe followed Dino's men and led them through the hallway to the bedroom. He also supervised them to make sure everything went smoothly. 

Hibari looked at his right-hand man with approval before turning his attention back to his papers. 

Oblivious to his lover’s problem, Dino smiled brightly at his pet and let him do as he pleased, before turning his attention back to his right-hand man. “I’ll need you to move in here as well,” he informed the other, recalling his lover’s earlier request. “But the rest of the men will have to stay back at the hotel.” Dino exchanged a knowing grin with Romario. 

“Sure thing, boss,” Romario said. The two began to talk shop for a while, but soon enough, Dino's men began to slowly file back out into the living room. Naturally, Hibari’s mood soured at the sight of them. 

"Hey, you. Take care of your men," Hibari demanded, glancing up from his papers with a scowl. 

Dino didn’t even have to open his mouth. His men were already used to this treatment and were already heading for the door. 

Dino smiled with amusement. He couldn’t help but to comment anyway. “You heard him, guys.” He grinned and gave them an easy shrug. “I’ll contact you all later. Why don’t you guys take a break and do something fun?” He smiled at them, fussing ever so slightly. 

The men waved back good-naturedly. “Alright, boss. Take care of yourself!” they called back at him as they got into their cars. “See you later!” they said, and then they were gone. 

Kusakabe stayed a bit longer. He talked to Hibari for a while, discussing school-related stuff. When it was time to leave though, he smiled politely at Romario and Dino. "It was nice to see you both again,” he said. “I'll be sure to come visit more often and bring a few drinks with me next time," he added, though the last bit was directed at Romario more than Dino. The two right-hand men had developed quite the friendship after all. 

Dino waved the other a goodbye. Romario smiled as well and gave an acknowledging nod to Kusakabe. 

After the vice chairman was gone, Dino turned to his lover. “So, shall we clean up a bit?” he suggested. 

Hibari nodded. "You organize your things. I'll take care of cleaning," he said simply and walked off to the kitchen to clean up after their lunch. 

Dino nodded, and along with Romario, they headed to bedroom. He noted his men had brought over his clothes, paperwork, some books, as well as a repertoire of weapons. Dino sighed at the sight of the latter but quickly began putting everything away. As usual, he was annoyed at the presence of the guns, as he was partial to his whip, but he understood why it was necessary to have them at close hand. Dino made a mental note to remind his lover about them as well as ask where he kept his own weapons. 

Once Dino and Romario were done setting up, they headed out of the room to find Kyouya. On the way, Dino gave Romario a small tour of the house, and his right-hand man looked contemplatively around, noting the best routes of escape out of routine as well as appreciating the beauty of the house. 

By the time Dino found him, Hibari had already cleaned the kitchen and several other rooms, including the entrance. Hibari was now outside, tending to his back garden which had over grown quite a bit due to lack of attention. As he worked, Hibird sat in his hair, nestled quite comfortably. The prefect, as usual, had no problem with this. 

“We finished organizing.” Dino announced his presence to his lover when they stepped out into the garden. “How are you doing, Kyouya? Need any hel-” Dino’s cut himself off as he noticed Enzo had somehow ended up near the pond that was in the garden. Dino’s eyes widened in alarm and he lunged in the direction of his turtle, managing to capture it just before the other had made contact with the water. Dino let out a relieved sighed. “That was close!” he exclaimed. 

Hibari watched this scene with an unreadable expression, and once the turtle was no longer deemed a threat, Hibari’s tonfa slid dangerously against the blonde’s throat. The prefect glared at the other with a cold, murderous expression. "If you destroy my house, I will bite you to death," he threatened lowly. 

Dino apologized profusely. “I’ll keep a better eye on him!” he promised, deciding then that he was going to have Romario watch over his turtle at all times so they could avoid incidents like this. 

"You better," Hibari murmured darkly, narrowing his eyes. Hibird, who still resting on top his head, began frantically flapping its wings while chirping, "I'll bite you! I'll bite you!" Finally, Hibari put away his tonfa and returned to weeding his garden as if nothing had happened. 

“Eheheh…” Dino rubbed the back of his neck before getting up to his feet. He moved to sit down by the porch, and watched his lover work for the rest of the day, helping whenever he could. Romario did his best too, offering to pick up the groceries for the house, among other things. 

Eventually, they settled down for the night after eating another delicious meal, courtesy of Kyouya. Dino really couldn’t stop smiling throughout the day. He was immensely happy about the recent change of events, despite the difficulties they had endured to get to this point. Life could not possibly get any better. 

And though Hibari refused to admit it aloud, he agreed. 

The days passed quite easily. Living with Dino was easier than Hibari had thought. Despite having their own work to do, Dino and Romario considerably helped out around the house, so Hibari didn't have to do everything himself. Occasionally, Kusakabe would show to help as well. 

Romario also took to giving Hibari rides to school for a while, which suited Hibari just fine at first. Then, one morning, when Hibari expressed his want to use his motorcycle, for some reason, it didn't sit well with the blonde. 

“Are you serious?” Dino asked the other with a disbelieving tone of voice. He looked up from the paperwork he had been working on that morning and turned to stare at his lover who had just finished getting dressed. “Why can’t Romario just take you, like usual?” he asked, frowning. 

Hibari shrugged on his school jacket as he frowned at Dino. "If I don't use my bike for a while, the engine will lose condition out of misuse," he explained before sparing a glance at him. "I’m taking it." 

Dino shot the other a frustrated look and continued to protest. “It’s way too dangerous!” he exclaimed. “What if you have an accident?” Dino’s frown deepened at that thought, dread filling him up just by picturing the scenario. It’s not like he didn’t trust the other to be safe… but why take chances? Better to be safe than sorry. Accidents were called _accidents_ for a reason after all. 

Hibari didn't understand Dino's panic and took insult to the other's worry. "I have a license. I've never been in an accident." He scowled darkly. "I know how to handle myself. Everything will be fine," he said in a cold tone and turned to leave the room. 

“W-wait a second, Kyouya!” Dino protested. He got up from the crossed-legged position he’d been sitting in and reached out a hand to grab the other’s arm. “I’m not saying that you can’t handle yourself, but there’s no reason to use your bike! Wasn’t that the reason you went to live in your apartment instead?” Dino tried to reason with him. 

"Why would I buy something I have no intention of using?" Hibari narrowed his eyes, pulling his arm roughly out of Dino's hand. "I moved to the apartment to be closer to the school." Hibari used to go back to his house on weekends but after Dino practically moved in and stayed over almost daily, it became too much trouble to go back and forth, so he just stayed at the apartment. "I'm going." Hibari turned away again. 

Dino let out a loud frustrated sigh and got to the point. “And what if you _do_ get into an accident?” Dino recaptured his lover’s arm and held on tightly. “What then, Kyouya?” Dino’s lips thinned and his eyes became dead serious. “You’re not just taking care of yourself anymore,” he reminded the other. 

Hibari stopped and narrowed his eyes. He stopped himself from acting on the instinct of putting his hand to his stomach and instead pushed Dino off of him yet again. Then, instead of heading for the garage where his bike was, or towards the car, Hibari headed out the front door with the clear intent of walking to the school. 

“Kyouya!” Dino called out after him and followed. But the knot of worry loosened inside of him when he noticed his lover didn’t head towards his bike, and was instead beginning to walk off in the direction of the school. 

Dino let out a loud sigh but didn’t say anything. Pushing the matter further would only be counterproductive, and at least the other understood that riding the motorcycle could be dangerous. Still, Dino hated arguing with Kyouya. He couldn’t wait for the other to come home already. Maybe Dino would order burgers for dinner that day to make up for it. 

Dino continued watching after Kyouya until he couldn’t see him any longer. He returned back inside the house with the comforting knowledge that his men would be keeping an eye out for trouble. 

Hibari walked to school in a bad mood. He felt exasperated and irritated, and the presence of Dino's men only aggravated him further. He usually didn't care because they kept their distance, but today he felt murderous. Once he was far enough away from the house, his irritation reached its peak. He took out his tonfa and turned to glare at Dino's men. "I'll bite you to death..." he murmured lowly, and that was their only warning before he launched himself at them. 

Unfortunately, soon after beating up the men, Hibari realized that this hadn’t really satisfied him. One, they were horribly weak. Two, they hadn't fought back at all. Hibari growled in annoyance and kicked the last guy he had beaten up one last time before turning on his heel. He continued to walk down the street, for once, alone. 

What Hibari didn’t take in consideration was that Dino’s men were under instructions not to fight back due to Hibari’s condition. Plus, Dino had trusted that Hibari would keep his word and not “bite” his men to death. 

Dino’s men weren’t even able to inform their boss of what had happened, having taken a rather embarrassingly nasty beating from the prefect. 

Hibari continued walking down the street after putting his tonfa away. He was at least satisfied that the street was void of people. Hibari hadn't truly had time to himself in who knew how long. He took his time and allowed the quiet walk to appease his temper. 

But of course, his phone choose that moment to ring. Hibari looked at the screen and frowned at the sight of the words "Unknown" written where a number should be. After a moment of debate, Hibari flipped open the phone and put it to his ear. "Hibari Kyouya," he said simply as he answered the phone. 

“Good morning, Mr. Prefect~” a low, amused sounding voice spoke from the other side of the line. “Did you have fun beating up those useless men?” the voice asked, laughing lightly; but there was something dark about its tone. “I bet you had a thrill, didn’t you? I know I did~” 

At this, Hibari immediately took a look around. He frowned when he didn't see anyone. He didn't even sense anyone's presence. "Who are you?” he demanded, scowling. “I'll bite you to death if you're spying on me." 

“Now, now. No need to get riled up. Wouldn’t want your... passenger to get hurt, would we?” the voice taunted, and one could practically hear the speaker’s smirk. 

Hibari frowned, narrowing his eyes as he took another look around him. How did he know about the pregnancy? "You can't hurt me," he said lowly. "Show yourself." 

“I don’t think you’re in any position to give orders, Mr. Prefect,” the voice reminded the other with a mock-serious tone. “After all, we currently have six guns trained on you, ready to shoot on my command. So why don’t we just relax and continue our chat, hmm?” 

"If you think I'm going to believe a stupid bluff like that, you have another thing coming," Hibari growled, irritated beyond belief. He immediately hung up the phone and continued his walk to the school. 

Immediately after the phone was hung up, it began ringing again, but Hibari ignored it. The moment it stopped ringing, three bullets instantly grazed past the prefect, one passing right in front of his face and hitting the wall next to him, the other two coming from behind, grazing past both of his arms before leaving their imprint on the ground. Hibari froze. His eyes went wide. Slowly, he looked at the three bullet imprints. This was no bluff. This was no joke.  
The phone began to ring again.

_“Midori tanabiku~ Namimori no~”_

His beloved school anthem had never sounded so ominous. Hibari slowly moved to answer the phone, his hand resting on his stomach now. He didn't speak. He knew the person on the other side was watching so they didn't need to hear his voice to know Hibari picked up. 

“Hooora, you see? I warned you, didn’t I?” The voice sighed patiently. “But now that we’re on the same page, Mr. Hibari Kyouya, I hope you’re more willing to listen.” _Not that you have any other choice_ , went unsaid. 

The prefect frowned deeply, risking one more look around. But he didn't see a thing. He knew that looking around anymore would just rouse suspicion. "What do you want?" 

The voice chuckled, as though pleased with the prefect’s response, before continuing to speak. “First of all,” the voice began to instruct, its tone never faltering in its mock-serious tone. “I’ll need you to drop your weapons on the ground. No hesitating now~” 

Hibari tensed at this. But he had to comply. _"You're not just taking care of yourself anymore."_ Dino's voice echoed in his head as the Namimori prefect tossed his tonfa on the sidewalk. 

“Good.” The other person on the line was obviously pleased at this, since it seemed to know that the weapons held some pretty dangerous surprises, and even with the guns trained on the school prefect, it was obvious that they didn’t want to take any chances. “Next, I’ll have a car pull up in a moment. You’ll be getting in there. That’s all you need to know,” the voice informed him, before adding as an afterthought, “and don’t even think about picking up your weapons, Mr. Prefect. We wouldn’t like to see what would happen if you did, would we?” 

Hibari gripped his phone so tightly, he was sure it was going to shatter. "Who are you?" he demanded in a low, threatening growl. He saw, from his peripheral vision, the car approaching him. The car he was supposed to enter that would take him who-knew-where. 

“Oh, I think you’ll find out soon enough.” The voice on the line snickered then, as if particularly amused by something. It seemed to want to say something more, but after a moment of deliberation, it merely sang a “See you soon~” before hanging up the phone. 

A moment later, the car parked next to Hibari and a couple of men came out. They approached the sullen teenager with a calculating look in their eyes that seemed to imply they had been warned that the prefect was dangerous. Still, they were confident enough when they reached him, and began herding the seventeen-year-old into the car. 

Hibari scowled at this and closed the phone, shoving it in his pocket. When he saw the men, on instinct, he weighed his odds. But he knew that the situation was futile. At least three snipers, six if he believed the voice, were trained on his head. The moment he resisted, they'd shoot. He couldn't risk it. Not now. So he gave the men his best murderous glare as he got into the car. His hand was still protectively on his stomach. 

Once inside the car, Hibari was quickly gagged and bound before he could even begin to protest. The men inside kept their guns trained on him the entire time, ready to shoot the moment he caused trouble. They audibly informed him of this very fact as they finished covering his head with a sack, blocking away his vision. 

The car began to drive off not a second later. No one would notice the prefect's disappearance until much later in the day. 

By then, it would be too late.

 


	14. Target 13: Revelations

Tetsuya Kusakabe was used to doing his own thing with the committee while their Leader did whatever he wanted. Hibari-san always had his own schedule, but Kusakabe at least saw him at points throughout the day. 

It was around lunchtime when Kusakabe noticed that Hibari-san wasn't in school at all. He asked a few of the committee members, wondering if they had seen him. When they said they hadn't, Kusakabe grew worried. Hibari-san almost never missed a day of school, and if he did, the prefect would always make a point to call him. So while the students were in lunch, Kusakabe returned to Hibari-san's office and took out his phone, dialing Romario's number. 

Romario was in the kitchen cooking his boss a meal when his phone rang. He frowned and wiped his hands on his apron before reaching for his phone. A slight frown formed on his face upon noticing who was calling. It was unusual for Kusakabe to call him in the middle of the day, especially on a school day. “Good afternoon, Kusakabe. Is everything alright?” he asked into the phone, juggling one-handedly the cooked meal into a plate. 

"Romario-san. Did Hibari-san decide to stay home today?" Kusakabe asked with a small frown. "I haven't seen him at school. Neither have any of the committee members. He didn't call me either." 

Upon hearing this, Romario’s frown deepened in concern. He walked towards the dining table and put the meal down before completely giving his attention to the phone. “No, he left early in the morning, on foot. I imagine it would have taken him a while to get there, but he should have arrived by now. Are you sure you just haven’t spotted him yet? He was in a foul mood when he left, so he might be sulking around somewhere.” Romario tried to reason the matter out, although there was a foreboding feeling already beginning to spread out throughout his body, and Romario knew from experience not to ignore it. 

"He hasn't been in the office at all." Kusakabe was getting that foreboding feeling as well when Romario confirmed that Hibari wasn't at home. "He hasn't checked in with me once... He's not even on the roof." Kusakabe left the office to go search the school with the rest of the committee. "What about the men that are supposed to watch over Hibari-san? Have they told you anything?" 

“They haven’t.” Romario’s frown was beginning to permanently etch on his face. “Hold on a second,” he instructed the other before putting him on hold in order to check up on his men. His concern continued to grow when they didn’t answer his first two calls. He was just about to send an alert to the rest of the men who were still in the hotel when one of the patrol men called him back to inform him of what had happened that morning. After they had lost track of the prefect, it had taken them a while to recover, but they had headed to the school as usual, only to find out the boy wasn’t there. Since then, they checked Hibari’s usual spots to no avail. The prefect had yet to show up. 

Romario grew instantly angry. “Why didn’t you report this sooner?” he barked in frustration, putting a hand up to his forehead as if to ward off his impending headache. Romario quickly instructed the others to continue searching before returning to his other line. He informed Kusakabe of the current situation. 

Kusakabe clenched his fists in worry when Romario updated him. "I’ll have the committee thoroughly search the school. If we still haven't found him in another half hour, I'll spread the search out through the town. Please keep me updated." He tried his best to keep the worry out of his voice. This was Hibari-san they were talking about. Hibari-san would be okay. 

Romario assured the other that he would before hanging up. He tried to sound reassuring, but inwardly, he was beginning to panic. He hoped the prefect would show up soon. Romario dreaded the moment he would have to inform Dino of the situation. 

And as if his thoughts had summoned his boss, Dino entered the kitchen then. The soft wistful look on his face told Romario that his boss was currently thinking about his lover and the fight they’d had that morning. 

 _Damn._ Romario stiffened before he could help it, and Dino noticed this instantly. 

“Is everything alright?” Dino asked his right-hand man with a concerned frown. 

Romario couldn’t very well lie to his boss. Especially not about this. So it was with a heavy heart that he informed him of the situation. 

Dino became keenly alert the moment Romario’s expression turned serious, and once the other began to speak, something inside of Dino slowly began to burn and freeze at the same time. He faintly wished he could laugh at his right-hand man’s words and ask if this was a joke, but Dino knew Romario wouldn’t joke about things like this. The fact merely served to agitate the blonde further, and Dino’s body grew tight with tension. His hands tightened their grip on the counter he had begun to clutch on to the moment Romario had began his explanation. 

“What. The. Hell?” Dino hissed out angrily through clenched teeth. _How could Kyouya break his promise?_ Dino immediately thought, feeling furious that his lover had actually gotten rid of the protection Dino had assigned for him. The anger was mostly for show however. It was more of a clutch that Dino was clinging on to, allowing him to keep his wits about him. Otherwise, he would fall into a deep sea of panic, despair, and a whole lot of guilt. Guilt for arguing with his lover. Guilt for not insisting that Romario drive him. Guilt for not keeping a better eye on him. 

Dino closed his eyes and did his best to push away these emotions to the back of his mind, knowing very well that he couldn’t afford to lose his head at this time.  

Half an hour later, Kusakabe kept his word and spread the search through Namimori. It was another hour before they found Hibari’s tonfa. Kusakabe fished them out from a nearby bush and paled, immediately calling Romario. 

Romario closed his eyes despairingly at the news. Dino soon followed. 

“ _Dammit!_ ” Dino growled out as he slammed his fist down on the counter. “Fuck!” he hissed out in frustration and panic, his voice breaking just a smidgeon as his eyes threatened to tear up. Dino took a heaving breath before sharply ordering Romario to ready the car. They would be heading for Tsuna’s house. 

Dino needed help. He hoped Reborn would know what to do.

 

* * *

 

 

Tsuna sat on his floor, his homework laid out across the small table in his room, but he couldn’t really concentrate. Something was wrong. All day at school, Tsuna had seen the Disciplinary Committee members tenser than usual. Tsuna had expected to see an equally tense or angry Hibari for one reason or another, but he hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him. It was confusing and just wrong. 

Tsuna sighed and shook his head. If Reborn found him slacking off again, he’d surely get kicked. He had to get back to work. But just as he was about to do so, Tsuna heard the screeching of a car’s tires and jolted. He looked out his window out of reflex and spotted a familiar and expensive-looking car parked in the middle of the road outside his home. _Dino-san?_ Tsuna’s brows furrowed in confusion and stuck his head out the window. He watched as Dino hurried out of his car and towards his house. The blonde looked tense and the expression on his face reminded Tsuna of the committee members at school. 

 _Something’s wrong,_ Tsuna realized with a sinking feeling. 

And sure enough, Dino confirmed this once he burst into his room. 

“Tsuna!” Dino’s eyes focused on him for a brief second before darting around the room. “Is Reborn around?” Dino bit his lip. “I forgot to call ahead of time. I tried to get here as quick as possible,” the blonde explained as his fists clenched tightly at his sides. 

Tsuna was startled when Dino burst into his room. "Dino-san? Is something wrong?" He stood up from his floor. Of course there was something wrong. Dino was always smiling around him. Now it almost looked like the blonde was panicked. 

Reborn, who had been downstairs until the sudden entry of the Cavallone boss, headed up to Tsuna’s room and walked in behind Dino’s feet. “What’s up, Dino?” He frowned in concern.                                                            

Dino’s heart jolted in momentary relief at the sight of his former tutor. No matter much he had grown, a part of Dino always seemed to rely on Reborn. “Kyouya’s gone missing!” Dino explained in a rush. “No one’s seen him since he’s left the house. My men lost track of him. The Disciplinary Committee can’t find him either.” 

“We’ve found his weapons tossed aside in the streets as well. It’s highly likely we’re dealing with a kidnapping at this point,” Romario added, putting a calming hand on his boss’ shoulder. Dino shot him a woeful look at the action. 

Tsuna's eyes widened at this. "What?! Hibari-san is missing?!" 

"It certainly looks like a kidnapping. I doubt Hibari would go anywhere without his tonfa," Reborn said as he walked over to the table, sitting on the edge. 

"But... If Hibari-san got kidnapped..." Tsuna paled slightly. "What kind of people are they?!" 

"Tsuna. Call the Guardians," Reborn ordered curtly. 

"Ah! Y-yes!" Tsuna quickly took out his phone. The first one he called was Gokudera. He fiddled nervously with his shirt as he explained the situation to his right-hand man. 

Gokudera was already on the way to the Tenth’s house when he got the call. He answered his phone cheerily at first, happy to have been called by the Tenth, but upon noticing his boss’ tone, he calmed down and listened intently. 

“That guy went missing?!” Gokudera exclaimed into the phone, his voice completely shocked. After bypassing his initial feelings of horror—because really, who in the world could kidnap _Hibari_ of all people—Gokudera went into his right-hand man mode immediately and set about  contacting the rest of the Guardians himself. “I’ll be there soon, Tenth,” he assured the other. “Please don’t go anywhere,” he requested, already considering that his boss could be in danger as well. Gokudera’s heart clenched at the thought of having the Tenth go missing, and his heart went out in sympathy towards the Bucking Bronco. 

"Y-Yes. Thank you, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna nodded and hung up. "Gokudera-kun is going to call everyone else," he said nervously, fiddling with his fingers. 

Reborn frowned slightly. "You didn't find Hibari's cell phone right? Have you tried calling him?" he asked Dino. 

Dino shook his head hopelessly. “We’ve tried calling already, but no one is picking up the phone,” he confessed, running a nervous hand through his hair. The cold gripping panic inside of him was beginning to grow, making the blonde’s fingers tremble lightly as he did so. 

"Hm..." Reborn jumped up to the windowsill and looked out the window before drawing the curtains. The room felt too open with the curtains open. Who could have kidnapped Hibari? And why? 

Tsuna sat on his bed, looking scared as he watched Reborn check the window and walk around the room. 

The silence was unbearable. Nobody said a word as they waited for everyone else to arrive. Which was why they collectively tensed up when Dino’s phone suddenly began to ring. 

It took Dino a moment to realize that it was his phone that was ringing, but once he did, he scrambled to answer it. Had his men found anything new? 

The caller ID read: Hibari Kyouya.

Dino felt his heart leap up his throat. “Kyouya?!” he called out into the phone urgently, gripping it tightly. At that moment, Reborn rushed over to him. Leon transformed into headphones which Reborn put on his head and plugged into Dino's phone so he could listen in on the conversation. He stayed perfectly silent. 

There was a moment of silence on the line, filled only by the quiet breaths coming from the other line of the phone. And then, “Do you hear that, Mr. Bronco?” a voice suddenly spoke. “Do you recognize your dear lover’s tired sullen breaths in the background?” the voice asked teasingly slow, each word delivered with drawn-out intonations.  

Dino instantly reacted. “Who the hell are you? Where the hell is Kyouya?” he demanded, his voice angry, practically growling. His face was a storm of emotions and his heart pounded loudly at his chest. Faintly, he could hear Romario chastising him lowly somewhere at his side, but he paid no attention to it. His attention was fully focused on listening to the other side of the line. 

There was another long baiting pause. “Hmm, I don’t think I like your tone of voice, Mr. Bronco. Shall I hang up?” the voice asked airily, becoming very quiet afterwards. So quiet in fact, that Dino suddenly became afraid that the voice had hung up after all. Reborn gave Dino a look as if to say, _‘Stay calm.’_ The blonde tightened his grip on his phone then, and thought he might’ve heard a small crack as he did so. He murmured a quick, insincere apology, hoping that it would placate the other somewhat. 

“That’s much better.” The voice chuckled with great amusement. “Shall we get to the matter at hand then?” 

Dino took a deep calming breath, which helped very little, but he forced himself to keep his voice even as he asked, “What is it that you want? Who are you?” he repeated again. 

A brief pause this time, although equally as deliberate as before. “Well, it’s about time that we introduce ourselves, I suppose.” A slight sigh could be heard on the other side of the line. The voice continued speaking after a moment. “Perhaps the Sun Arcobaleno has heard of us before, though I highly doubt it.” The voice seemed to smirk proudly at the fact. “We’re known as the Vendetta Family, and what we want is to kill one Sawada Tsunayoshi, first handedly, and destroy the Vongola Family thereafter,” the voice announced arrogantly. 

Dino paled slightly at this conceited confession and his eyes flickered towards Tsuna for a moment. This person was revealing their plans so readily. It obviously meant that they thought they already held the winning hand. 

“Speechless, aren’t you?” The voice chuckled lightly, although there was something unmistakably malicious about it. “I bet you’re wondering why we’re even bothering with a kidnapping when we can easily kill you all in your sleep.” The voice laughed, and Dino honestly wasn’t sure if that last statement was a bluff or not. “You’ll find out soon enough. For now though, you might want to ask Mr. Hurricane Bomb to pick up the mail on his way in. After all, we wouldn’t want our dear Maman to find out about the little present we left, would we?” 

Reborn narrowed his eyes, his mouth pressing into a thin line as he heard the voice's words. "Tsuna," he spoke curtly. "Tell Gokudera to bring in the mail." 

Tsuna frowned. Having been staring at Dino the entire time, listening to his side of the conversation, he was shocked when Reborn suddenly addressed him and with such a weird request, but he nodded and took out his phone. He texted Gokudera to bring in the mail on the way into the house and, knowing the situation was dire, added a “Be careful” on to the message. 

Gokudera had just reached the gate of the Tenth’s house when he received the text. He was instantly wary and alarmed at this but did as the Tenth instructed. He found a bulky envelope inside, addressed to The Vongola Family, which he instantly checked right then and there, worried it might contain something dangerous. 

What he found inside disturbed him. There were pictures of the Namimori prefect inside, showing the boy in a dark room, bound and alone. His skin looked pale in the poorly lit room, and Gokudera could faintly make out a small scowl on the prefect’s face.

Gokudera shakily shoved the pictures back in the envelope and hesitantly walked up to the Tenth’s door. He gave a weak smile to the Tenth’s Mother before heading to the Tenth’s room, his composure faltering. 

Tsuna stood when Gokudera entered. Seeing his right-hand man's face though... He was hesitant to say anything. Reborn immediately took the envelope from Gokudera's hand and opened it. A shadow fell over his eyes as he looked at the pictures. Tsuna saw them over Reborn's shoulder and he paled, putting a hand over his mouth. The Arcobaleno gave the pictures to Dino. 

"Keep calm," Reborn warned. 

Dino dropped his phone the moment he saw the pictures. He clutched at them lividly, his face turning an unhealthy pale white as he struggled to breathe. Dino drank in the sight of his lover, noting the lack of injuries, noting Kyouya’s stubbornly blank expression which only showed a hint of apprehension. Dino bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. 

“Boss…” Romario murmured soothingly, although he himself was feeling all sort of queasy inside. He pried away the pictures from Dino’s hands, knowing that this was not the time to lose composure. Dino protested immediately, but Romario put a hard, comforting hand on his boss’ shoulder before handing him the fallen phone. 

Dino had lost his will to speak however. Thankfully, the voice spoke up for him. 

“Are we done panicking now, Mr. Bronco?” the voice asked with amusement. “No need to worry. We’re keeping Mr. Prefect and your foal quite safe. We won’t do anything… at least, not if you keep quiet about this whole thing.” The voice suddenly became serious. “No calling the Ninth, or any other kind of backup now. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to our dear guests, would we?” the voice threatened, and a grunt was heard in the background, indicating that someone had gotten hurt. Kyouya. 

 _“Don’t you touch him, you bastards!”_ Dino growled out into the phone, slamming his fist down on the table. This reaction merely severed to amuse the voice on the line. “Tsk, tsk. You’re losing your temper again, Mr. Bronco. 

“I think I’ll leave you to calm down for a while. But we’ll be calling you back. Don’t you worry about that, Mr. Bronco. After all, there are still lots of things left to talk about.” 

Suddenly, without another word, the line cut. 

Leon transformed back to normal and Reborn immediately took charge. "Dino. Stay here. Pay close attention to your phone," he ordered. He then looked at Gokudera. "The rest of the Guardians are coming, correct?" 

Gokudera nodded. “They should be here any time now.” Yamamoto had offered to go pick up Chrome, allowing Gokudera to head to the Tenth’s side as soon as possible. The lawnhead had been out running, but had thankfully taken his cell phone, so Gokudera had been able to reach him. He would be a little late, since he was somewhat far, but once Gokudera mentioned that Hibari was in trouble, Ryohei had reacted as predicted, hanging up his phone and running at an extremely fast pace towards the Tenth’s house. 

"Reborn... Dino-san. What exactly is happening?" Tsuna looked at the two of them. 

Reborn looked at Tsuna. "The Vendetta Family plans to assassinate you. They've taken Hibari as a hostage." 

All the color disappeared from Tsuna's face. His mouth was half-open. His eyes were wide as he fell on his knees in shock. 

"Pull yourself together." Reborn raised his voice a bit, looking at Tsuna and Dino. "Both of you. Panicking in this way won't guarantee Hibari or Tsuna's safety. Remember what I've taught you and calm down." 

Dino stared blankly at the table in front of him, unable to think of anything but Kyouya’s bound figure. Kyouya’s breaths. Kyouya’s eyes. 

Kyouya’s voice. Dino needed to hear it. 

Dino closed his eyes tightly feeling miserable and frustrated, but above all, helpless. It took all of his will to try and calm down and listen to Reborn’s words. If only he hadn’t lost his temper… they would have more information! Dino bit his lip in frustration. He was such an idiot! 

The blonde took a deep breath and tried to recall the whole conversation with an outsider’s perspective. After a few moments, his eyes shot up, widening in horror. “Shit,” he suddenly murmured. “They _know_ ,” he breathed with shocked disbelief. 

"Know what?" Tsuna looked at Dino immediately. 

"They know Hibari's pregnant," Reborn said, looking at Tsuna. He was slightly disappointed that it took this long for Dino to realize it. "That was probably one of the reasons they targeted him out of all the Guardians." 

"Do you think… they'll do anything?" Tsuna whispered. 

Reborn frowned. "I don't know." 

Gokudera bit his lip at these news. Things were looking bad… 

“Dammit!” Dino hissed out with frustration. “Who the hell is the Vendetta Family?” His fingers dug into his hair furiously. 

"The Vendetta Family is a Family that's been at odds with the Vongola from the beginning," Reborn explained. "I don't know about them as much as I would like to." He was sure the Ninth would know more but he was hesitant to call him in case the Vendetta took it as a request for backup. They needed to be careful. 

Tsuna wrapped his arms around himself, looking down. Why? Why did the Mafia continue to ruin his life like this?! Putting his friends in danger... He didn't even do anything! 

“Tenth…” Gokudera murmured quietly, putting a hand on his boss’ shoulder. He looked down at his lap helplessly, not knowing what he could do to help. 

It was then that there was a loud rambunctious knocking on the front door. “SAWADA!” Ryohei’s voice clearly called out from the first floor. 

Tsuna calmed down ever so slightly with Gokudera at his side. But as he heard the familiar shout of Ryohei, he felt even more at ease, knowing that everyone else would be here soon. "Onii-san!" Tsuna opened the door to his bedroom. "We're up here!" After calling, Tsuna returned to sit next to Gokudera.

Ryohei made his way up before any of them could take another breath. “What’s this about Hibari getting kidnapped?!” he demanded loudly the moment he stepped inside the room. 

Gokudera immediately shot up to his knees and slammed his hands down on the table. “Keep your voice down, you idiot!” he hissed at the boxer. 

“What was that, octopus head?!” 

"Onii-san, please!" Tsuna held out his hands to calm both Ryohei and Gokudera. "We'll explain, but please stay calm." 

"We'll wait until Yamamoto and Chrome arrive," Reborn said, sitting on the table with a serious look on his face. 

Thankfully, it wasn't long until Yamamoto and Chrome walked up the stairs to Tsuna's room. 

"Tsuna, what's going on?" Yamamoto asked soon after walking in. Chrome stepped in as well, though she stayed by the entrance. 

Reborn took that moment to fill everyone in on the situation. He told them that Hibari was in a very sensitive state, so he was kidnapped at a bad time. 

"Not good..." Yamamoto frowned, turning serious. "So we're waiting for the kidnappers to call back now?" he asked, and Tsuna nodded in response. 

Romario had a serious, contemplative frown on his lips. His arms crossed over his chest somberly when he spoke up. “It’s possible that you are all in danger of being kidnapped as well. Trust no one and stick together at all times until we resolve this situation. We don’t know who could be the next target.” He said nothing about the obvious target above Sawada’s head. It was him, after all, that the Vendetta Family planned to take out above all, and it seemed obvious that they wanted to do it in the most painful way possible. 

Not to mention, Romario had a feeling that this had a lot to do with the Cavallone Family as well. He shot his boss a deeply worried frown, but Dino said nothing, staring quietly at his lap and the phone resting on it. 

Tsuna gripped the sheets of his bed. This was more than bad. This was disastrous. Hibari, of all people, had been kidnapped by a Family that was threatening to take his life. If they’d gotten Hibari out of the way so easily, Tsuna wouldn’t be a challenge at all. His chest felt hot and he gripped his shirt over his pounding heart. He was going to die. 

 _/ Not if I have anything to say about it! /_  

Tsuna winced suddenly as he felt his muscles seize up. It hurt and it felt familiar. _**It**_ wanted to take control again. 

Reborn looked over at Tsuna upon hearing the uneven breathing and narrowed his eyes. Not this. Not now. He discreetly grabbed Tsuna’s sleeve and gave a sharp tug. 

Tsuna felt the yank ground him and he closed his eyes tightly. _No! Not here! These are my friends! I’ll take care of this, so leave me alone!_  

The fiery hot sensation in his chest seemed to calm down almost immediately and the voice in him went quiet. The anger diffused and Tsuna was able to let out a small breath of relief. Reborn spared his student a small smile and released his sleeve. 

Tsuna let his hands fall back to his lap and looked around the room. So this Family was after them and they had taken Hibari. This meant they would need to take every precaution. Tsuna couldn’t afford to panic. 

"Chrome... Will you move in with someone? Just until things get a bit safer." Tsuna’s eyes settled on her. Though Tsuna knew she was strong, not to mention a Guardian, she was still a girl. He was concerned for her safety. 

"Boss..." Chrome gripped her staff nervously. "I... I don't know..." 

As if sensing Chrome’s turbulent emotions, Mukuro suddenly came out. “Kufufufu… Are you implying that I’m not capable of protecting my Chrome, Sawada Tsunayoshi?” the illusionist drawled, leaning against the doorway of Tsuna’s bedroom in a very relaxed manner. 

“Mukuro!” Gokudera suddenly sat up, becoming deadly alert. He glared warningly at the illusionist. 

“Huh? Who’s this guy? Where did that girl go?” Ryohei asked confusedly, his eyebrows furrowing. 

"Mukuro!" Tsuna stood up, looking at him with a small frown. "No, I'm not implying that at all! I just want to make sure Chrome is safe. Just in case anything happens. Please understand, Mukuro." 

Mukuro had a slight amused expression on his face. “I appreciate the concern, Vongola, but my Chrome will be just fine where she is at the moment.” The way he said this implied that nothing would change his mind. 

Before Tsuna could even begin his next word of protest however, the phone on Dino’s lap rang again. 

The room went deadly silent. 

Dino picked up the phone with a blank expression on his face. 

“Hello?” he answered in a quiet voice. 

Reborn once again plugged the Leon headphones in to Dino's phone. 

“I see you’ve managed to calm down, Mr. Bronco,” the same voice as before responded blithely. 

Dino said nothing and merely waited for the other to continue speaking. 

The voice sighed, apparently disappointed at this response. “Well, now that’s everyone arrived, I guess we can continue our conversation, hmm?” the voice hummed contemplatively. “I’ll get straight to the point. If you want to retrieve your dear prefect, you’ll have to come rescue him yourselves. Just you, Vongola, and of course we’ll let you try as well, Mr. Bronco. You have a week to decide if you’re willing to risk your lives to do this,” the voice told them, its tone condescending. 

“And remember, you can’t call for backup. Don’t even think about getting outside help,” the voice warned. There was a slight pause then, as if the voice was suddenly remembering something. “Ah, but don’t worry. We already know that _those_ guys will be arriving to Japan soon. As long as they don’t get in our way, we won’t really care.” The voice chuckled. “I’ll contact you again soon. Don’t you worry too much about Kyouya. We’ll keep him safe, as long as you do as you’re told. See ya later, Mr. Bronco~” 

"Wait." Reborn jumped up to Dino's shoulder and spoke into the phone. "How are we sure that Hibari is safe? I'm hardly convinced by pictures. Let us speak to him." The Arcobaleno half meant his words. The other half was for Dino. 

Dino gripped his phone tightly at Reborn’s request. He had wanted to ask the question himself, but was afraid that the person on the other line would refuse him. 

“Oooh? I had a feeling you were listening in, Mr. Hitman Reborn.” The voice seemed to smirk at the fact. “All right. I don’t mind.” 

After a moment of silence, save for some talking in the background, Hibari was put on the line. “It’s for you, Mr. Prefect~” the voice spoke faintly in the background. 

"...Who is it?" Hibari snapped. His voice was slightly more quiet than usual, but there was a distinct annoyance in his tone. 

Reborn couldn't help but smirk slightly. They'd have a hard time keeping Hibari tame for an entire week. 

“Kyouya!” Dino couldn’t help but to feel instantly relieved at his lover’s voice. Something inside of him eased. “Kyouya...” Dino repeated again, gripping the phone tightly as he closed his eyes, as if doing so would allow him to see his lover. He wanted to say so many things at that moment, from apologizes to lectures, to asking if the other knew where he was, but all that came out was, “Are you alright?” in a deeply concerned voice. 

"I'm fine." Hibari shifted slightly. The ropes on his wrists were biting into his skin. He felt humiliated, irritated, and slightly afraid. But he wouldn't admit any of that. "How is Kusakabe taking care of the school?" 

“Kyouya!” Dino spluttered exasperatedly at that. Only Kyouya would ask something like that in this type of situation. But, Dino thought somewhat relieved at the confirmation, this could only mean that the other was doing fine after all. “The school’s fine. Kusakabe is taking good care of it. He’s worried about you though.” _So am I,_ naturally went unsaid. 

"Hm." Hibari grunted simply. "He'll be fine. Don't touch anything in my house unless Romario is with you." A pause. Then, "And don't worry about me. I'm stronger than you would like to believe." 

“Kyouya...” Dino smiled slightly, feeling completely reassured by his lover’s words now. He wanted to say more then, but it seemed like that kidnapper had gotten somewhat irritated by Hibari’s last words. “Alright already, Mr. Prefect,” the voice grumbled slightly in the background before getting back on the phone. “That should be enough, shouldn’t it be, Mr. Hitman Reborn?” The voice sighed, as if disappointed at this sudden change of mood. 

“You have one week,” the voice reminded them then. “One week to find out where we’re keeping your dear prefect. One week before you all die in your hopeless attempt to save him. Maybe you should just forget about him after all?” the voice suggested, tauntingly, as if needing to bait them into submission again. “What are two lives compared to the rest of you Vongola anyway, huh?” The voice laughed then, and that was the last thing they heard before the speaker hung up again. 

Leon transformed back to normal and sat on Reborn's hat. The Arcobaleno moved to sit down on the table. "We have a one week time limit," he explained to the rest of them. "The tutors I mentioned before will be arriving tomorrow. In that one week, we must find out where Hibari is being kept as well as prepare for battle. I do believe that their intention is to kill Hibari if we take too long." 

Tsuna's eyes widened slightly. "One week?! But how are we supposed to do something like that in one week?!" 

“We’ll have to,” Dino spoke up then, his face deadly serious. He looked very much like the Mafia boss he was. Romario nodded silently next to him. 

Not be outdone, Gokudera spoke up as well. “Don’t worry, Tenth! We’ll rescue that guy for sure!” he said, trying to reassure the brunette. 

Ryohei nodded as well. “Octopus head is right! We just have to beat them up, right?” he declared, as straightforwardly as usual. 

"Yeah, Tsuna! Don't worry! Everything will be fine!" Yamamoto said with his usual carefree grin. 

"Everyone..." Tsuna looked at them before nodding slightly. "Y-yes, you're right. We'll do our best, Dino-san!" he said, looking at the head of the Cavallone Family with determination. 

Dino looked very grateful at the reassurance and was able to relax a little. 

“Kufufu. It looks like things are getting interesting around here. To think that that guy could get captured.” Mukuro’s lips pulled into a small bloodthirsty smirk. “I’m afraid I’ve run out of time for today however. I’ll look forward to seeing you again, Sawada Tsunayoshi.” Mukuro’s eyes raked over the Vongola’s body more than a little possessively, which made Gokudera hiss angrily and put an arm out in front of the Tenth. A second later, Mukuro was gone. 

Chrome stumbled slightly as she regained control of her body. "Ah... Boss... I heard about it... I'll do what I can..." she said softly, holding on to her trident for support. 

"Chrome... Make sure not to overdo it..." Tsuna said softly, relieved that Chrome was back. 

"Dino." Reborn looked at the blonde. "The kidnapper said you were free to join Tsuna in battle. But I'm sure he meant only you. What is your decision?" He needed to know. He had plans to make. 

Dino shot this former tutor an exasperated look. “I’m in, of course!” 

Tsuna smiled, feeling a bit relieved at this. With Dino at their side, they'd stand a better chance. 

Reborn smirked at the blonde’s response. "Good. I'll arrange a tutor for you as well, Dino," he said, before turning to the rest of them. "Everyone, return home now. Keep your phones well charged and at your side in case we need to contact you." He pointed at Yamamoto and Ryohei. "You two escort Chrome back before returning home yourselves. It’s possible the kidnapper will target your families, so keep a close watch and never let your guard down." 

Yamamoto's eyes turned dark at this and he nodded. 

Ryohei clenched his fists tightly, his expression becoming fiercely protective. “I won’t let anyone lay a finger on Kyoko!” he declared loudly, his voice threatening. 

Gokudera spoke up then. “Reborn-san, who exactly are these tutors you keep mentioning?” he asked, curious. 

At Gokudera's question, Reborn smirked. "They are people you all know very well. Don't worry. They'll be arriving in the morning. And I'm sure they will have much to teach you," he said slyly. 

Tsuna noticed that tone of voice and gulped, knowing Reborn had probably planned something that wasn't at all good for his health. 

Gokudera frowned slightly but nodded at this answer. 

“Well, I’ll see you all tomorrow, then.” Dino got up and gave everyone a strained but encouraging smile. It was obvious he was still affected by what had happened to Hibari. Romario bid everyone goodbye as well, and the two left after that. Slowly, everyone else started trickling out of Tsuna’s house as well. Gokudera was the last to leave. 

“Take care of yourself, Tenth.” Gokudera fussed over the other worriedly at the doorway, biting his lip. 

Tsuna fiddled with his hands slightly and nodded. "Please be careful on your way home, Gokudera. Please..." Tsuna looked at him helplessly. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you too." 

Gokudera closed his eyes and nodded tightly. A warm feeling welled up in his chest at the words. _I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you either,_ he thought as he looked back up at stared at his boss with a helpless expression of his own. He felt scared. Just the thought of going through what the Bronco was experiencing terrified him. He couldn’t let anything happen to the other. Not again. 

“Tenth…” Gokudera’s voice shook slightly and his hands curled at his sides for a moment as a wave of emotion overtook him. Within a second, he found himself stepping forward and wrapping his arms around his boss tightly. 

Tsuna tensed in slight shock before he closed his eyes. His arms reached up and wrapped around Gokudera in return, pushing his face into the taller teen’s chest. It made him all the more aware of what he had, as well as what he didn’t. 

Gokudera closed his eyes and nearly suffocated the other with his hold, not only unable to overcome his worry, but also wanting to comfort the other. “It’s going to be okay, Tenth. We’re going to be okay,” he murmured. 

Tsuna heard the words next to his ear and it made him feel better. Even though he knew that the situation hadn’t changed at all, somehow Gokudera saying it was going to be okay made the sky a little less dark. He gripped tightly to the back of his shirt and took a deep breath, his inhale filled with Gokudera’s scent. “Call me when you get home, okay? So I know you’re alright,” Tsuna murmured into his right-hand man’s shoulder. 

Gokudera nodded slightly, his face pink. “I will,” he promised. But it took him a little while to let go. When he finally did though, Gokudera looked down at his feet shyly and bowed slightly. “I’ll talk to you soon then, T-tenth!” he stammered out embarrassedly before rushing off to his apartment. 

Tsuna pinked slightly as he watched Gokudera go. "Be safe!" he called after him. After watching him walk for a few moments, Reborn called Tsuna inside from the door, reminding him that he was a target as well. Tsuna bit his lip and fiddled with his hands nervously before nodding and walking back into the house. 

The remainder of the day went by slowly for all of them. 

Ryohei lay awake for some time, not only concerned that someone had kidnapped Hibari, but also worried that someone might harm Kyoko or the rest of his family. He vowed to wake up early the next morning so he could begin his extreme training. 

Chrome stayed close to Ken and Chikusa, though she was hesitant to tell them what was going on. She was scared that the kidnapper might target them, even though they were technically not part of the Vongola. 

Dino paced around restlessly in Kyouya’s house, his moods rapidly changing due to his inability to clear his mind. He fell into an uneasy sleep that night, clinging on to the sheets of the futon, which still smelled strongly of his missing lover. The scent kept him wide awake for a long time. 

Yamamoto, after dropping Chrome off, hurried home. He stayed at his father’s side for the remainder of the evening, helping him out and talking with him. Yamamoto could barely sleep as he laid in his futon, straining his ears for any sound. 

Reborn spent the rest of the evening alone, arranging everything for the next day. 

Gokudera got home quickly, keeping an eye out for suspicious people on his way. He immediately called the Tenth as soon as he was inside and they talked on the phone briefly before hanging up. He slept worriedly that night, constant thoughts of his boss as well as of this situation troubling him. Tomorrow, he was going to have to call his job and ask to have the week off. 

Tsuna, after hanging up with Gokudera, couldn't finish his homework. Hibari-san had been kidnapped. _Hibari-san_. And the same kidnappers wanted to assassinate him and his friends as well. Tsuna closed his eyes tightly, clinging desperately to his pillow, unable to fall asleep. 

But eventually they all did. And before they knew it, the training from hell began.

 


	15. Target 14: And So It Begins

* * *

  **DAY ONE**

* * *

 

The next morning started out like this: 

“ _VOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIII!!!!”_ Squalo’s loud, ear-shattering voice rang out as he slammed open the front door of the Takesushi store. “Get the hell out of bed, you damn sword brat! It’s training time!” Squalo barked out as he took a threatening step inside of the restaurant. 

Yamamoto woke with a start, not remembering when he had fallen asleep. He immediately reached for the Shigure Kintoki on instinct before his brain registered whom that voice belonged to. His eyes slowly grew wide and his smile broadened. Still in his pajamas, Yamamoto rushed out of his bedroom and down the stairs to the sushi shop’s front entrance. 

"Squalo!!" Yamamoto's eyes burst with happiness as he saw the long-haired swordsman standing at his front door. "It’s been so long!" 

Squalo shot a disgruntled scowl in the direction of Yamamoto. “Get the hell out of those clothes and grab your sword already, brat!” He glared at the boy, looking down at him haughtily. He was disappointed that the other hadn’t come down with his sword, having intended to immediately launch at him as soon as he saw him. “Tch, well?!” he asked impatiently. “What the hell are you waiting for?!” 

Yamamoto grinned so widely, his cheeks hurt. "Okay!" he said happily, hurrying back to his room. He changed into his normal clothing and grabbed his Shigure Kintoki, slipping it over his shoulder before rushing back to meet the other, his grin never faltering. "Where are we going?" he asked as he hurried over to Squalo's side. 

Squalo was about to respond with a rather harsh snarl, but Yamamoto Tsuyoshi finally made his way down to the shop level then, with a rather concerned frown on his face. “Oi, Takeshi! This a friend of yours?” he asked, his posture becoming alert the moment he saw the swords out. 

"Oh, Pops!" Yamamoto turned and smiled. "Yeah! This is Squalo! He's a really good friend of mine! We're going to go train for a while, so I'll be back later!" he said happily to his father. 

“Who are you calling a-?!” Squalo spluttered in seething indignation. He growled at the younger Yamamoto, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him out of the shop in a huff. He couldn’t believe this crazy kid! 

Yamamoto laughed happily as Squalo seethed and dragged him off. This had to be the happiest Yamamoto's been in a very, very long time. 

Tsuyoshi watched them both go with a slightly amused and knowing expression on his face, before stretching out his arms and heading back to his room to get dressed. It was time to start setting up the shop for the day after all.

 

* * *

 

 _Rrrriiiip!_  

"Shishishi~ Wake up, kid!" Belphegor crouched over Gokudera's sleeping form and stabbed a knife into the pillow next to Gokudera's face, slowly ripping it open. The prince ignored Uri, who was hissing angrily from the floor. 

Gokudera woke up instantly upon hearing the knife next to his ear. He flung an arm out sharply as he opened his eyes, fully alert. “Who the-” he began to growl before he took in the form of the other person in his room. “What the hell are _you_ doing here?!” he demanded and reached for his bombs. 

"Ah, ah, ah~" Belphegor grabbed Gokudera's hand to prevent him from grabbing any of his dynamite. "You shouldn't attack a prince. Especially after I so graciously came here from Italy just to be your tutor. Shishishi!" His grin was as wide and as insane as usual. 

“Who’d want to be tutored by you!” Gokudera growled out irritably and lashed out again so the other would let him go. That’s when he registered the blonde’s words. “It can’t be!” Gokudera’s eyes widened. “Reborn-san actually meant _you_ guys?” The bomb-user gaped for a moment before fully realizing what that meant. “Hell no!” he protested and pushed the other away from him before scrambling out of bed. 

Belphegor jumped back and watched the other panic with amusement. When Gokudera was up, he threw a knife, pinning Gokudera to the wall by his sleeve. "Calm down, you damn brat. We're all going to meet at the shrine. You'll have time to see your precious Tenth once we get there," he said with a grin. 

Gokudera shot the intruder a murderous glare. “Get the hell out of my apartment already, you knife-bastard!” he growled, tearing out the knife from the wall with his free hand. Uri hissed by his feet, sounding equally as murderous. He looked ready to pounce and attack the blonde any moment now. 

"I can't do that, brat~" Belphegor said happily. "Let's go. Get dressed so we can go to the shrine! And don't take long! I'm very impatient~" He gave another "Shishishi!" before leaving the room and waiting right outside Gokudera's bedroom door. 

Gokudera hissed indignantly, throwing Bel’s knife right back at him in an accurate fury (which was admittedly caught easily and put away with a wide grin) before stomping towards his bathroom and getting dressed quickly. He sent a quick text to the Tenth as he did so, warning him about what was going on as well as informing him he would meet him at the shrine. Although Gokudera would immediately head to the Tenth’s house if that’s what the Tenth wanted, he hastily added as he finished putting on his rings. 

Gokudera received a text back from a slightly panicked Tsuna, asking if everything was alright, and saying that Reborn thought it was a good idea to stop by so they could walk together, given the circumstances. 

Gokudera let out a relieved sigh as he heard back from the Tenth, feeling much calmer, although he was still irritated at being awoken by that knife-bastard. He replied to the Tenth that they would be making their way over now, before heading out of his bedroom and shooting another irritated glare at the Varia member. Gokudera headed to his kitchen to pick up an apple, as well as to leave out plenty of food and water for Uri since he didn’t know how long he was going to be out. Afterwards, he left his house without another word, choosing to ignore the so-called-prince. 

Absentmindedly, he sent out one last additional text while he enjoyed his small, portable breakfast. 

 _Btw, Tenth, Good Morning!_   ♥ 

"Hmm? Who are you texting?" Belphegor leaned over Gokudera's shoulder with a grin, staring at the small screen. 

Gokudera flinched and nearly dropped his phone in his hurry to hide it away, though he was sure the damage had already been done. He flushed. “None of your business,” he hissed, glaring at the other as he made sure to put some distance between them. “And quit getting so close to me, bastard. Unless you want a close up with my bombs,” he sneered. 

Belphegor followed, keeping the distance close just to annoy the boy. "And I'm sure you don't want to get up close and personal with my knives." He took one out and giggled. "So why were you texting the brat, hm? We're going to see him at the shrine. A little too clingy?" 

Gokudera ground his teeth and slipped his hands in his pockets. He ignored the cigarette box sitting there and palmed a dynamite in his right hand instead. In his other, his fingers fiddled with his lighter. “If you haven’t caught up to speed yet, moron, the Vongola is under attack,” Gokudera growled. “And unlike you,” he said, his voice making the word sound like a slur, “I’m not too chickenshit to check in with my boss,” he spat. 

"Shishishishi!" Belphagor sniggered delightedly. "You're so cute when you're pissed, brat. Just make sure you behave. Remember, I'm your tutor for the next week. So you have to listen to me," he said as he twirled the blade between his fingers. 

“As if,” Gokudera muttered mutinously and tightened his grip on his weapon. 

The walk to Tsuna’s house was a long one.

 

* * *

 

Lussuria found his student jogging down the street. With a happy smile, he caught up and skipped at his side. "Hello, Little boy~" he said happily, smiling at Ryohei. "It’s been a long time~ " 

“Ah!” Ryohei immediately stop in his tracks and began jogging in place as he stared at Lussuria with wide eyes. “You’re that extreme weirdo I fought before!” he announced loudly. Some small part of him wondering if he should be wary of this, but his gut was telling him that the guy wasn’t an enemy this time around. 

"Oh, I'm so glad you remember me!" Lussuria smiled, clapping his hands together and ignoring the insult. "Dear little Reborn-san called me and asked me to be your tutor! We're meeting everyone at the shrine, so I was asked to come and collect you, my little student~!" 

Ryohei seemed to take the news rather well. He nodded twice with a very serious expression, indicating he understood. “Yosh!” he exclaimed with enthusiasm not a second later. After all, he could never refuse a challenge, and the fight with this guy had been interesting that time. “I still have two more laps to go before I’m done!” he announced determinately. “I’ll head to the shrine right after! Let’s go!” He pumped up a fist in the air before continuing his jog around town. 

"Oooh~ I'll go with you~! I need to stretch my legs after being in such a stuffy and cluttered hotel room all night. You wouldn’t believe how dreadful it is to say there! Not to mention that the furniture totally clashed with the carpets!" Lussuria bemoaned, beginning to complain as he jogged with Ryohei, swinging his arms at his sides happily.

 

* * *

 

 _I can’t believe we’re back here in Japan. This is the **worst**. Not only am I being forced to work for free, but now I have to endure meeting up with those guys. Ugh. _ Mammon’s temper was beginning to get the best of him. He grumbled darkly under his breath as he slipped in through the window of one of the buildings in Kokuyo Land. This was the third one he had searched.

“Where is that stupid girl?” he hissed with annoyance as his eyes darted over the rundown building. He noted the various candy wrappers that were piled up next to a beaten up couch and scrunched up his nose. “God, this place is filthy.” He grimaced. 

Chrome had curled up on the couch, her trident leaning up against the armrest. She had a blanket up to her shoulders, but it was nice. It was comfortable. She was, however, a light sleeper. She felt the presence long before she heard the voice. She got up and quickly grabbed her trident. "Is anyone there?" she called out, trying not to be too loud so she wouldn't wake Chikusa and Ken, whom were sleeping in the next room. 

Mammon’s gaze honed in on the girl in an instant. “It’s about time,” he muttered to himself before making himself known. “Hey.” Mammon greeted Chrome by appearing right in front of her in a flash. 

Chrome gasped and her eye widened. She held on to the trident a bit tighter. "It's... You! What are you doing here?!" Her shoulders squared defensively. 

Mammon snorted slightly at her reaction. “How weak,” he said, before raising a hand to conjure up an illusion. “Lesson number one, always be on the offensive.” As Mammon’s words left his mouth, the couch behind Chrome began to stretch into long limbs that were beginning to wrap around the girl. 

Chrome gasped as her limbs were restrained immediately. She struggled against the illusion, but it was much too strong. Or so it seemed… 

Moments later, Chrome froze, and a gaping hole erupted flame from underneath Mammon. 

"I already am!" Chrome's voice called from the other side of the room, pointing the trident at the Arcobaleno. The ring on her hand flickered gently with Mist Flames. 

A loud scream emitted from Mammon’s body as it burned under the onslaught of the flames. The Arcobaleno’s body melted within seconds, leaving only ashes and silence in its wake. 

“Hmm. You’ve improved. But you’ve still got a long way to go,” Mammon spoke from behind Chrome in a calm but critical tone. 

Chrome turned around and faced Mammon. She frowned slightly, her grip on her trident not loosening. She nodded but frowned. "Why are you here? Boss already defeated the Varia," she said. But then it clicked. "Unless..." Chrome looked at Mammon suspiciously. 

Mammon’s lips twitched into a small smile, though it quickly disappeared as he spoke. “I see you’ve caught on already. Good. I would hate to be stuck training some brainless girl,” he said as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

Chrome frowned a bit but nodded slightly. "If it's for the Boss, then it's okay," she said, her voice soft as she straightened herself, though her gaze was still guarded. 

Mammon rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Let’s just get going already. We have a meeting to get to,” he said before turning to fly off towards the shrine. He didn’t spare a glance behind him. 

Chrome watched Mammon turn and glanced back towards the room where Chikusa and Ken were. She wondered if they were still asleep, if they'd slept through the small altercation, or if they didn't really care. She decided not to bother them with this. Chrome swallowed and gripped onto her trident tightly before hurrying after Mammon.

 

* * *

 

Soon enough, all of the Guardians, except for Lambo, were at the shrine, each accompanied by a Varia member, except for one. 

“VOOOOOOIII!! Where the hell is the damn boss?!” Squalo growled out, glaring at the rest of the Varia members as if it was their fault that he was missing. 

“Maaa, calm down, Squalo.” Dino held out a greeting hand towards everyone, his smile bright but obviously still strained. There was a hard glint in his eye and a tense air about him that spoke a lot of his current state of being. 

Squalo ignored him, his irritated scowl merely deepening at Dino’s words. 

"Araa~ I figured this was going to happen." Lussuria stood next to Ryohei as he sighed with an over-depressed air about him. "What are we going to do with that boss of ours?" 

To be honest, Tsuna was very relieved that Xanxus wasn't here, though the presence of the rest of the Varia was enough to make his nervousness spike. Especially with Belphegor standing nearby with his creepy laugh. Tsuna had tried his best to keep his distance from the twitchy knife user in the walk over, but it seemed as though Belphegor was making it his mission to make Tsuna as uncomfortable as possible. 

Next to Tsuna, Gokudera growled with irritation at the knife-bastard, his teeth grinding roughly against his usual cigarette as he stood protectively in front of his boss. He shot all of the Varia constant suspicious glares, unable to decide which one to keep an eye on the most. 

Chrome walked up the stairs to the shrine then, holding tight to her trident and following the floating Arcobaleno. She seemed to relax a bit in the presence of the other guardians and Tsuna. 

Reborn smirked at the sight of his fellow Arcobaleno. "Hello, Mammon. It’s been a while." 

Mammon immediately frowned upon seeing his fellow Arcobaleno and let out a tired, irritated sigh. “I wouldn’t be here if I had any other choice. I hate doing work for free,” he deadpanned, before moving towards one of the trees to watch from there. 

Belphegor’s attention immediately abandoned Tsuna upon seeing the Mist Arcobaleno. "Hey, Mammon." He grinned. "Don't be so down! At least we'll get to have fun! Shishishi!" 

Mammon let out another irritated sigh and said nothing. 

It was then that Reborn noticed a figure darting around behind the trees, trying to keep hidden. "Skull! Come out, you idiot," he said, his deadpan tone rivaling Mammon’s. 

“A-ahaha!” Skull’s laugh wavered with bravado as he peaked out from one of the bushes. “As expected from Reborn-senpai! Of course only you would be able to spot me!” the Cloud Arcobaleno boasted as he came out into the clearing. 

"No. Anyone could have seen you. You're just useless," Reborn said right after kicking Skull in the head. Tsuna watched this scene and felt a deep sense of sympathy for the Cloud Arcobaleno. 

Meanwhile, back in the Varia’s hotel room, Xanxus languidly sipped the wine cup in his hand. His feet were resting over a table, and he looked as if he didn’t have a care in the world. 

"Ah, Boss?" Leviathan looked nervously at Xanxus, poking his fingers together. "Everyone else has already left. Are you going?" 

Xanxus shot his subordinate an irritated glance but continued to sip at his wine, feeling no need to answer the other’s question. He felt absolutely no remorse about ditching the meeting and had already put the distasteful affair out of his mind. The only thing that was on his mind right now was the utter anger and resentment he felt for the Ninth. _How dare that old coot send me back here to train those scum?_ Xanxus seethed silently. His hand tightened on his cup as he downed the liquid violently in a single gulp. He held out his cup for Levi without a word and felt a dark sense of satisfaction as he watched the minute hand on the clock move. 

He was going to enjoy defying the old man’s orders. 

Levi moved and refilled his boss' glass without another word. It was silent for a while and the subordinate simply stood there obediently, but a knock on the door interrupted everything. Levi looked shocked at the sound and he glanced to Xanxus before walking over to open the door and see who was there. 

The Sky Arcobaleno walked in as soon as the door was opened. "Xanxus." Aria frowned. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the shrine with the others." 

“You!” Xanxus’ eyes widened slightly before narrowing at the sight of the Sky Arcobaleno. “What the fuck are you doing here, woman?” he asked with obvious irritation, but surprisingly enough, gw put his cup down quietly instead of throwing it as usual. He seemed to be sulking at her presence. 

"I'm here to make sure you do your job, Xanxus." Aria’s frown deepened. She stalked across the room and stood in front of Xanxus before crossing her arms. "Tsunayoshi and the Vongola Family need your help. And you decide to just sit here and ignore it? I'm very disappointed in you." 

Xanxus bristled and growled loudly at her words but made no move to stand. Instead, he mimicked the Arcobaleno’s gesture, crossing his arms over his chest before looking off to the side. “That supposed to mean anything to me?” Xanxus spat as he glared pointedly at the wall. 

"I hope so," Aria scolded. "You, so dedicated to the Vongola, I can't believe you'd just give up when they need you most! Just because of some childish rivalry." She shook her head. 

Xanxus felt his temper flare. His gaze darted right back to glare at her, his eyes flashing dangerously. But once again he made no move to get up from his chair. Instead, Xanxus ground his teeth in an obvious attempt to restrain himself. “I get it already, woman!” he finally snapped in response as he tightened his fists in anger. “Now get the hell out of here before I lose my temper,” he warned her lowly, teeth bared, though it was clearly an empty threat. 

Aria smiled gently. "Alright. I'll wait for you in the hallway and we can walk to the shrine together." She shot the other a knowing grin before turning around and leaving the hotel room. 

Xanxus snarled, feeling utterly irritated that someone had decided he needed a _babysitter_. The thought made him finally send his glass flying in a rage, the wine splashing over the walls of the room, bleeding into the carpet as it trickled down. With slow, deliberate motions, he took his time heading out of his room. He spared no glance at the Sky Arcobaleno as he stalked out of the room and down the hall, but Aria merely smiled and followed after him. After a few moments, Levi followed faithfully behind, carrying Xanxus’ chair with him. 

Once they were all at the shrine, Aria smiled. She was glad to see that everyone else had already arrived. Especially… 

"Reborn!" Aria smiled happily at the Sun Arcobaleno. "It’s so good to see you!" 

Reborn smiled. "Aria. It’s been a long time," he said fondly, still standing on top of the prone Skull. 

Aria’s gaze slid up to the brunette standing next to Reborn then. "And you must be Tsunayoshi-kun. I'm glad we can finally meet," she said, walking over. "I also brought you your tutor," she said, extending a hand to Xanxus. 

Tsuna was too petrified in fear to give Aria a proper greeting. 

Xanxus scowled deeply at the Sky Arcobaleno’s words and shot Tsuna a seething, murderous glare for a moment before moving to sit on his chair, which Levi had finally set down. He crossed his arms irritably once there, sending everyone a haughty, disrespectful glare. 

Gokudera immediately bristled, standing up straighter and even more protectively over his boss. His fingers were obviously itching to reach for his dynamite. “Bastard!” he growled out. “Show some respect!” 

But Squalo jumped in before Gokudera could say anything else. “It’s about time you fucking got here, you damn boss!” He glowered at his boss and waved around his sword-arm with irritation. 

Xanxus scowled at his subordinate’s direction. 

Meanwhile, Skull continued twitching on the ground, letting out muffled protests as his face continued to be pressed against the ground by Reborn. 

Yamamoto laughed at Squalo’s shouts as Tsuna tried to calm Gokudera down. Reborn finally hopped off from Skull's helmet and instead kicked him aside. Aria joined Reborn at the front of the group. 

"Reborn explained the situation to me," Aria began. "Varia, you have a week to teach the Vongola Guardians all you can about the Deathperation Flames. Everyone, please work hard, but remember not to overwork yourselves." 

"As I told you last night, everyone, keep your phones charged and on you at all times," Reborn continued before he pulled out a cell phone from his pocket. He walked over to Chrome and gave it to her along with a charger. "Everyone's numbers are in the memory. Please contact us if anything comes up." 

Chrome took the phone and nodded slightly. "Thank you..." she said quietly. 

Tsuna was much more relieved to see Chrome with a phone now. 

Aria then turned to look at Dino. "Dino, Reborn told me you'd also be fighting. I will be your tutor." She held out a hand to the Cavallone boss. "Let's work hard together." 

Dino nodded once and reached for Aria’s hand, giving it a firm shake. _So this is who Reborn set up for me…_ he thought, keenly observing the woman. There was something intriguing about her that Dino couldn’t quite put his finger on. He had no doubt she was strong. All of the Arcobaleno were. 

As if Dino’s thoughts had summoned him, it was then that a certain Rain Arcobaleno finally arrived. He arrived in the same way as usual, carried on by his hawk. Ryohei was the first one to notice him. 

“Ah! Shishou!” the boxer exclaimed happily, waving in the direction of his master. 

Colonnello jumped down once he was in the middle of the clearing, landing next to Reborn, which of course meant he landed on top of Skull, who had just managed to sit up barely a minute ago. “Don’t let your guard down, kora!” he shouted at the Cloud Arcobaleno. 

"Colonnello!" Tsuna blinked at the Rain Arcobaleno's arrival. "What are you doing here?" 

"Obviously to help, No-Good-Tsuna," Reborn said before looking pointedly at Colonnello. "Though you can't help if you're _late_." 

Aria watched the scene with a small smile. It was nice to see all the Arcobaleno again. 

Colonnello turned to stare at Reborn challengingly. “Not all of us have the pleasure of living in the area, kora!” The blonde Arcobaleno slammed his forehead against Reborn’s, ignoring Skull’s muffled protests from under his feet. 

The hitman didn't even flinch at the head butt. "Even the useless Skull got here before you did," Reborn said, slamming his forehead back on to Colonnello's. 

Tsuna wasn't sure how long the two would probably fight but he was hesitant to step in between them. He had suffered both their wraths in Mafia Land and was hesitant to suffer it again. Especially when he already had Xanxus to deal with. Tsuna turned back to look at Xanxus nervously. He gulped slightly, fiddling with his fingers. 

Gokudera had no such quall about stopping them however. Especially since he was itching to get out of this place. He felt like he was somewhat channeling Hibari, which he found very ironic considering the situation. But there really were way too many people crowding, and it was making the bomb-user twitchy. “Reborn-san,” he spoke up then, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion and slight concern. “Is it really alright for the Arcobaleno to be here? Won’t this make the Vendetta Family angry or something?” he asked. 

Reborn looked at Gokudera. "The Vendetta Family said we couldn't help you fight. But we will overlook each of your training. On top of that, we will gather all the information we can to see if we can locate where Hibari is being held." 

Aria smiled. "That way, you can all just focus on your lessons. We may not be able to help you fight, but we can help you in other ways." 

“That’s the way it is, kora!” Colonnello nodded, before finally jumping off of Skull’s head. Said Arcobaleno was scowling at his senpai with irritation as he got up to his feet, crossing his arms over his chest in a huff. Colonnello turned to look back at him, only for Skull to immediately twitch and look down at the ground meekly. 

“Alright! I’ll get to train with Shishou again!” Ryohei exclaimed excitedly, throwing a fist up in the air. 

"Not necessarily, Ryohei," Reborn said, speaking up. "Colonnello will be watching over Squalo and Yamamoto. Fon will be watching over Belphegor and Gokudera. Skull will be watching over Mammon and Chrome. And I will be with Lussuria and Ryohei." 

"Hey, what about me?" Tsuna stepped forward. 

"Since Aria is going to be training Dino, you'll have to deal with Xanxus yourself, Tsuna," Reborn said with a sneaky smile. 

"NO WAY!" Tsuna almost shrieked in horror. 

“Reborn-san!” Gokudera immediately protested as well. “Are you seriously telling us that you plan to leave that psycho alone with the Tenth?! I won’t allow it!” Gokudera threw a protective arm in front of Tenth, but it was then that something jumped down on his head, making the bomb-user fall to the ground. 

“Calm yourself down, Storm Guardian.” Fon had finally appeared. The Storm Arcobaleno plopped down to the ground and stared serenely at the bomb-user. “Consider this part of your training,” he told the other firmly, before turning to stare sternly at Reborn and Colonnello. The other two knew that Fon had been there the whole time, and they also knew he disapproved of their behavior towards Skull. 

"Shishishishi!" Belphegor laughed at the sight of Gokudera falling to the ground. Tsuna, though, kneeled down to see if Gokudera was okay. 

"Fon, nice to see you finally join us," Reborn said, nodding at the Storm Arcobaleno. He knew of his fellow Arcobaleno’s disapproval, but as usual he chose to overlook it. "Now that everyone has met each other, we should get going and start." Reborn hopped over and sat on Ryohei's shoulder. "Good luck with your training, everyone." He smiled. 

Aria smiled to the rest of them before turning to Dino. "Come. Let's head to your place. We need to talk for a bit," she told him. Her thoughts briefly wandered to Gamma, wondering if the blonde was worried sick since she had left without much word. 

Dino nodded at the Sky Arcobaleno and had Romario pull up the car to pick them up once they reached the bottom of the shrine. As they walked down the stairs, Dino couldn’t help sigh almost inaudibly. This was going to be a tough week. _Kyouya… I hope you are alright,_ he thought. 

Mammon departed soon after that as well, looking as disgruntled as he had since he had arrived to the shrine. “Oi. Let’s get going already,” he said, addressing the younger illusionist as he floated down the stairs of the shrine and back towards Kokuyo Land. 

Chrome nodded to Mammon and followed after the floating illusionist, her new cell phone tucked safely away in her pocket. 

Skull noticed their departure and scrambled to follow them. “Hey! Wait for me!” he protested, “Don’t ignore me!” he called out to them angrily and promptly tripped. He fell down the stairs harshly and hit the bottom floor with a loud thud. 

Chrome stopped and looked down at Skull for a moment. In silence, she picked up the Arcobaleno and continued after Mammon with Skull in her arms. 

Back up in the shrine, Lussuria was smiling at Ryohei. "Come, let's go to that lovely boxing club room you have! I'm sure we can get some great training done there!" 

Ryohei was swiftly beginning to warm up to his former opponent. “Yosh!” He beamed at the other, particularly excited to begin his training with him. The Varia member had been a good fighter, and had an interesting style that had intrigued Ryohei before. Ryohei remembered well because he never forgot a fight. “Let’s go train to the extreme!” he announced and began to jog in the direction of the boxing room, carefully minding not to jostle the baby sitting on his shoulder. 

Lussuria smiled happily, jogging off with Ryohei and Reborn as he put his Sun Class ring on his outstretched pinky finger. 

Belphegor walked over to Gokudera then and grinned. "Come on, kid. Time to go!" he announced, looking thoroughly giddy. 

But Gokudera didn’t move from his spot. Well, he did get up from the ground and back on his feet. But he refused to leave Tsuna’s side. “There’s no way I’m leaving the Tenth alone with _him_ _!_ ” Gokudera spat, glaring daggers at Xanxus. 

Xanxus narrowed his eyes at the bomb-brat. “Oi, you useless pieces of trash!” he addressed the remaining Varia. “Hurry up and get rid of the rest of these fucking scum already so I can get to work.” 

“What did you say?!” Gokudera growled, taking a threatening step in the direction of the Varia boss. 

Tsuna gulped slightly. He really didn't want to be left alone with Xanxus... 

 _/ How do you expect to deal with the ones who kidnapped Hibari when you can't even face someone you've already defeated? /_  

Tsuna's eyes widened slightly at the voice’s words. After a moment, Tsuna gulped and took a deep breath. "G-Gokudera-kun... P-Please go," he stammered, though his tone was as firm as he could manage. 

Gokudera faltered, his face drooping slightly at his boss’ words. “Tenth… are you sure?” he asked, frowning in concern. 

Squalo, who had been simmering in frustration in his spot, waiting for this dumbass meeting to end already, finally broke, unable to keep silence for any longer. “You heard the boss, you damn brat! Hurry up and get going!” he barked in the direction of Bel and Gokudera, so no one was really sure who he was actually addressing. A moment later, he turned to face the equally silent Yamamoto. “You too, brat!” Squalo’s grin resembled a dangerous, bloodthirsty shark. “Let’s get going!” he announced and promptly began dragging off the Rain Guardian again. 

Colonnello looked amused at this display and began flying after them via Falco. 

"You heard him, kid." Belphegor grinned. "Let's go now! Shishishi!" He began walking and soon, a spluttering Gokudera was being pulled along by a near invisible wire that was tied around his wrist. Fon followed after them with a quiet, amused air about him. 

Yamamoto waved at Gokudera and Tsuna. "Good luck, guys!" he said with a bright smile as he headed off with Squalo. 

Tsuna watched his friends leave one by one and gulped when he was left alone with Xanxus... Almost. 

Levi was still there. "Boss! Is there anything you'd like me to do!?" he asked as if he was begging to prove himself. 

Xanxus let out a dark low chuckle once the clearing was empty except for the Vongola brat and his other useless subordinate. He was itching to beat this kid up already. It was the only reason he had accept the order come to Japan after all. (Xanxus completely and conveniently forgot about the fact that they had been personally sent here as a “punishment” for the incident five months ago.) 

He paid little mind his subordinate, absently ordering him to go train the Vongola Lightning brat and get out of his sight. 

Levi froze slightly. He had been hoping for something he could do in front of the boss... But an order was an order. "Y-Yes, Boss!" he said before running off. 

Tsuna stared at Xanxus for a moment before pulling his gloves out of his pocket and putting them on with shaking hands. He could feel that dark aura coming from Xanxus and it made the hairs on the back of Tsuna's neck stand on end. He couldn't reach for his Dying Will pills any faster. 

Xanxus did not bother getting up from his chair. He merely took out one of his guns and began shooting in Tsuna’s direction, his aim fast and deadly. 

Tsuna swallowed the pills just in time. He used his speed to quickly dodge the shots, but he wasn't sure what he should do next. Should he attack Xanxus? Should he not? Should he just continue to dodge? 

Xanxus took out his second gun then and began firing more rapidly. 

So far, this fight was very much like the last fight they had been in before. However, there was a smug look on Xanxus’ face that never faded throughout this whole time. 

The look on Xanxus' face gave Tsuna the creeps. But he did his best to keep his focus. So far, he continued to easily dodge the shots. Even though they were fast, Tsuna had proved in their previous battle that he was faster. So then... why did Xanxus still have that expression? 

Xanxus continued toying with the other. He had noticed from the moment they had met that the other’s ring was still hanging from a chain around his neck. _What an idiot_ , Xanxus smirked in obvious pleasure at this fact. Xanxus would be a fool not to take advantage of it. Without even a warning, Xanxus activated his own ring, which served to increase the intensity of his shots, growing faster as well as deadlier. 

Tsuna continued to dodge the shots... that was, until Xanxus' ring activated. Suddenly, it was all too fast. Tsuna wasn't able to keep up. He dodged the first two shots but the third hit him in the shoulder, whirling him around from the force. The next one hit him in the back, knocking him out of the sky. 

Xanxus laughed cruelly, generally amused at the whole sight. He felt insanely content at being actually allowed to beat this trash without any repercussions following this time. He was going to have _fun_. “Care to try again, you worthless brat?” Xanxus smirked, cocking one of his guns straight in the direction of Tsuna’s face. 

Tsuna shakily pushed himself up, doing his best to ignore the pain. He turned, panting, to stare at Xanxus' gun aimed straight for him. He didn't know what to do. If Xanxus shot at him again, he wouldn't be able to dodge. He'd get hit again. 

 _/ Put the ring on! /_  

Tsuna looked down at the Vongola Ring around his neck and grabbed it, pulling it off the chain. But even as he put the ring on, doubt filled his mind. He'd never be able to light it anyway... What was the point of even putting it on? Why should he try? 

All these doubts prevented the Sky Flames from appearing on the ring. 

“What a joke.” Xanxus snorted as if amused at the other’s weak attempts to survive. “To think that stupid scum like you was able to beat me… It’s just insulting.” Xanxus’ smirk slipped into a grimace. He looked particularly disgusted at his own words. Without further prompting, he began shooting at the other again. 

Tsuna couldn't dodge anything this time. He was thrown back by the force of the shots on his chest and tumbled to the floor. He coughed and gasped as he tried to regain his breath. Why couldn't he do it? Why was he so _pathetic?_ Tsuna struggled to his feet and this time tried to take the initiative and fly forward towards Xanxus before he started shooting again. 

Xanxus didn’t even flinch. He coolly brought his gun up in front of him, and the moment the other was near enough, he let out a fiercely powerful shot. He watched the other take his hit, feeling disappointed and bored. The only reason he hadn’t left until now was because he couldn’t resist beating up the other to oblivion, and then some. 

“Hmph. Just as I thought. Trash will always be trash in the end.” Xanxus smirked arrogantly in the direction of the fallen brunette, before putting his guns away. 

“Listen up, you damn worthless brat, because I’m only going to say this once. Figure out how to light that ring of yours or I’ll kill you myself! The Vendetta Family is the least of your worries right now.” Xanxus stood up from his chair and turned to walk back to the hotel. At least _that_ task would give him some exercise.

“Don’t even think about looking for me until you do that, got that, you worthless piece of trash?” Xanxus looked over his shoulder and glowered in the direction of Tsuna for a moment before disappearing down the steps of the Namimori Shrine.

Tsuna let out a scream of pain as he was thrown back harder than before. The Dying Will Flames flickered away off his forehead as Xanxus spoke. He shivered on the floor, looking over in time to see Xanxus' glower, then his exit. Slowly, Tsuna took off the glove his ring was on and stared at it, concentrating as hard as he could. There wasn't even a flicker. "Why!?" Tsuna's hand shook as he clenched his fists so hard, his nails made cuts in his palms. "Why can't I do it...!?"

 


	16. Target 15: Resolutions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're truly, awfully sorry about the late chapter. Ryona26 had finals last week, so we couldn't make it time. But, on the bright side, this chapter is really, really long! So we hope that makes up for the wait. Also, in this chapter we reveal the faces behind the Vendetta Family, and we would really like to hear your opinions on them as this story continues. With all that said, read on and enjoy! Also don't forget to review! :)

* * *

 

The car ride to Hibari’s house was mostly quiet. The only sounds that filled the silence were the low hum of the engine and the soft sighs that occasionally left Dino’s lips. Aria had her legs crossed, her hands resting on her knee. As she looked over at the Cavallone boss, her eyebrows knitted together in worry. Dino’s elbows were resting on his knees and he was hunched forward, unable to lean back and relax. His expression was tense and guarded. 

 _The poor man._ _He must be the one suffering the most out of all of them, since Hibari was the one who was kidnapped._ Aria closed her eyes and steeled herself. There was a time for sympathy and there was a time for work. Dino had to work. He had to be strong if they were to stand a chance. Aria decided to break the silence. "Dino, how much do you know of the Flames?" she asked, giving him a gentle, very slight smile. 

Dino broke out of his worried trance at the question, though it took him another second to register Aria’s words. He gave her a half-hearted smile before pulling out a fancy-looking Sky Class ring from his pocket. He held it out between his fingers for her to see, staring at it contemplatively himself. “Enough, I guess. I haven’t really used it in battle much. Life had been… pretty peaceful lately,” he said, before letting out a small sigh. He turned the ring between his thumb and forefinger for a second before slipping it on. The ring lit up immediately. 

Aria smiled a bit more when the ring lit up so effortlessly and so brightly. Dino was a strong boss. Aria knew she’d have her trials with him, but training Dino would be an easy task. "Yes," Aria agreed, looking down at her knee. She remembered how shocked she had been when Reborn told her what had happened with the Vendetta Family. How sudden it had been. "I don't think any of us expected something like this to happen." 

Dino’s hand immediately clenched into a fist at these words. “No. I _should_ have expected something like this. How could I not have?” Dino pressed his fist against his thigh, his nails digging into his palm. The flame flickered erratically in tune with his anger. “I let my guard down like an idiot. I kept thinking—I never expected Kyouya of all people—” Dino cut himself off, feeling a pang of guilt for even considering to blame the other of being too weak to protect himself. This was solely Dino’s fault. “Dammit,” he murmured quietly, sounding pained. 

Aria reached over and placed her hand on Dino's shoulder. She knew his struggle. Hibari had always been the strongest Guardian. Dino never had to worry about him. But now... 

"This wasn't your fault. The Vendetta has always been a step ahead of us. We had no foresight. Blaming yourself for things that have already happened won't help Hibari," she said softly, though her tone was firm. 

Dino’s frustration and self-loathing was etched in the tense line of his jaw. He shook his head at Aria’s words, pressing his lips together as he struggled to explain what was bothering him most. In the end, he couldn’t help but to sigh in defeat as he ran a hand through his hair. The flame in his ring flickered out with the drop of his mood. “I just… I can’t help but to blame myself.” Dino explained what had happened before Hibari’s kidnapping. “It’s killing me, knowing that if I had just let him take his bike, if I had just insisted that he take the car, none of this would have happened.” 

Aria frowned slightly, listening to Dino speak. She sighed and shook her head. "Dino. These people don't operate by chance. If it didn't happen then, it would have happened another day. They didn't catch a lucky break, they were looking for an opening and they would have found it eventually, whether it be by your fault or someone else's." She looked at Dino and moved a bit closer to him, moving her hand to his arm in a light supporting hold. "We can't wallow. We must push forward. If we show anymore weakness, the Vendetta is sure to prey upon it and Hibari will be lost." 

Dino closed his eyes briefly, grimaced slightly at the image Aria’s words invoked, and nodded tightly. “I know,” he murmured. “You’re right,” he said in a stronger voice as he opened his eyes once more. The flame in Dino’s ring lit up again as he straightened up in his seat. “I can’t keep beating myself over all of this, not when I should be focusing on rescuing Kyouya instead.” 

Aria smiled as she saw the ring light up, its flame brighter than before. It seemed more furious, more determined, though she knew by experience that there was always room for improvement. "That's it, Dino." Aria tightened her grip amiably. "Feed on that strength. The Vendetta is a long time enemy of the Vongola Family. Their resolve will be unshakable. We must be stronger if we're going to beat them." 

“Yes,” Dino agreed, and then finally managed to shoot the other a small smile. “Thanks for the pep talk, Aria,” he said. “I needed that.” Dino rubbed the back of his head with a small amount of embarrassment. “Sorry about all that. I’m not usually like this,” he said with a self-deprecating smile and waved a hand carelessly in the direction of his face. 

"It's perfectly understandable." Aria smiled a bit brighter and moved her hand back into her lap. "It's natural to have moments of weakness, especially when someone you love is involved." She let out a soft laugh under her breath, her mind wandering back to the man who was probably worried sick about her after she ran off without a word. But it was for the best. "Not to worry, Dino. We'll win this." 

Dino couldn’t help but to smile at Aria’s words. His heart filled with warmth and determination at that moment. They were going to rescue Kyouya. They were going to win. “Yeah, we will,” he murmured quietly, and hoped.

 

* * *

 

That very same day, in an underground base beneath Namimori, the Vendetta Family was currently holding a meeting. The atmosphere in the room was relaxed, confident. Takeda Masaru, current Boss of the Vendetta Family, sat in the middle of it all, a deeply content smirk settling upon his face. 

“What’s the current status of our prisoner, Ono?” Masaru addressed the redheaded man sitting at his left. 

Ono Takumi’s lips split into a wide mischievous grin. “Mr. Prefect’s been doing _very_ good. I don’t think we have to worry about him too much, Boss. After all, if he even thinks about pulling a wrong move…” Ono ran a long thin finger across the length of his throat, as if mimicking a blade. 

"You've done well, Ono-kun," said the tall man sitting at Masaru's right. Hasegawa Minato shot the redhead a small gentle smile, pushing his blonde bang out of his face before tucking it behind his ear. His hair was held back in a short ponytail and his blue eyes were currently closed as a pleased expression spread across on his face. The suit he wore was perfect and without a speck of dust as if it was on a mannequin in a store. 

"Yeah! We've got those Vongola bastards right where we want them!" Kobayashi Yuki chimed in with a grin, her brown eyes sparkling with mirth as her hand slammed confidentially on the table. The movement caused her short light-green hair to bounce, though that was the only thing that did. Despite being sixteen, Yuki was quite flat-chested. Coupled with the fact that she had a liking to loose, bright, baggy, punkish clothes, it was hard to tell by just looking at her if she was a boy or a girl. 

Ono rolled his eyes at Minato’s words and bit his tongue; he knew better than to start a fight with the blonde in the middle of a meeting. Well, for the most part anyway. He grinned cheekily in the direction of Yuki however. 

Masaru smiled thinly and nodded in agreement. After so many centuries of struggle, things were finally going to come to an end… The Vendetta Family would finally regain its righteous place as the top Mafia Family, and the Vongola would be destroyed… forever. 

The fact brought Masaru great satisfaction. 

“And what of the rest of the Vongola?” he asked then, direction this question to the rest of his men, each having been assigned to watch over a different person. 

Miyazaki Youta snorted from his seat at the question, leaning his head on the palm of his hand as his fingers played with his curly, caramel-brown hair. “What about them, Boss?” Youta shrugged, his amber eyes half-lidded and void of amusement. He looked blatantly bored by the meeting. 

"Insignificant," Nakamura Jiro spoke up. He sat cross-legged in his chair. His bare feet peeked out from underneath the pants of his black kung fu uniform. It hardly seemed like he was paying attention as his eyes were closed and he was barely showing any reaction. But those who knew Jiro understood otherwise. 

"Jiro-kun is right, Boss." Fujita Ayumu looked at Masaru with a small smile. His long jet-black hair covered part of his face but he didn't seem to mind it. In fact, his steel-grey eyes seemed to be glittering from behind it. "We won't have to worry about them. They're just kids." He stretched back in his chair, his dark trench coat falling open to reveal his lack of shirt. He hardly seemed to care. 

"Yes, we're much stronger than they could ever hope to be," Minato agreed, smiling up to Masaru. 

Ono grinned sharply at these reports. “But that’s what makes it fun, doesn’t it?” he asked them all, his coffee-brown eyes shining with amusement. “They’re totally helpless! They’ve been doomed from the start, really!” 

Masaru leaned forward and rested his chin on top of his gloved hands, his dark-blue hair falling forward over his equally dark eyes. He looked contemplative. 

“Let’s not get overconfident. Don’t forget that there is always a one percent chance of failure in every mission, no matter how… insignificant our opponents are,” he reminded them, though the smirk on his face showed that he felt just as self-assured about the situation as everyone else in the room. 

Minato’s smile grew at his boss’ words. "I'm sure we'll all have fun, especially you, Boss," he said with a soft tone. "I've received some intelligence that the Tenth Generation Vongola doesn't even know how to light his ring." 

Yuki sniggered at this. 

“What a joke!” Ono agreed with an incredulous peal of laughter. 

Masaru smirked as well. “It’s nice to see all our plans have finally come to fruition. With the Ninth’s brats finally dead and Xanxus officially declared incapable of usurping the Vongola, Sawada Tsunayoshi, by far the weakest heir, will be easily eliminated.” 

Ono grinned at his boss’ side. “And we’ll even do it all nice and properly so not even the Cervello will have something to complain about!” 

"The Vongola Family will die with the Ninth Generation. All thanks to you, Boss," Minato said with a simple smile as if they were having a pleasant conversation about the weather. 

"We'll be written down in history!" Yuki cheered mirthfully. "And then we'll finally be able to take over!!" 

Masaru nodded then, looking quietly pleased. “Just one more week and it’ll finally be over…” he murmured softly, mostly to himself. _This constant struggle will finally end with me. I won’t make the same mistakes that my Family’s made up until now,_ Masaru thought as he closed his eyes briefly. He tried to push back the feelings this fact invoked in him, but it was impossible. The hatred he felt for the Vongola, for Daemon Spade, had never faded. Not after everything that had happened. And now that victory was so close at hand… Masaru couldn’t help but to be filled with anticipation. 

 _Soon,_ Masaru promised himself before pushing back the thought and standing up. 

“Continue keeping an eye on the prisoner. Try not to tease him _too_ much, Ono. It’ll be hard enough as it is to convince him to abandon the Vongola,” he reminded the redhead warningly, who grinned sheepishly in response. Masaru turned to address the rest of his Guardians. “The rest of you know what to do. Make sure the Vongola don’t make contact outside of Japan. You’re dismissed.” 

The Family gave a call of affirmation before heading off their respective ways.

 

* * *

 

In a well-reinforced and isolated cell, Hibari sat on the cold hard floor. His hands were tied firmly behind his back and the ropes were annoyingly rubbing into the skin on his wrists. He looked down at his stomach as he crossed his legs. Hibari hated this. Ever since the moment he'd entered that godforsaken car, his "handlers" seemed very well aware of what he was carrying. That infuriating bag had been kept over his head no matter how many times he'd tried to subtly shake it off. It was too long to get a peek under and every time he managed to adjust it, someone would reach over and pull it back down, making Hibari growl against the cloth in his mouth. When the car finally stopped, he’d been grabbed by the shoulders and pulled out of it roughly. He felt disoriented. They pulled him sharply around corners and pushed him around more than needed. He wasn't able to get a handle on his sense of direction. There was a moment where Hibari had broken free and attempted to kick one of the handlers, but the familiar feeling of a gun barrel pressed up right against his side, level with his stomach. Hibari's body had frozen with a chill and it gave them enough time to regain control. The gun stayed where it was until they got to the cell. 

And he'd been there ever since. Hibari had first met the bastard Ono when the sack was pulled from his head and the cloth from his mouth. The redhead had taken pictures of him and teased him, but Hibari always kept his cool. Then the phone calls happened, and the whole time, Hibari stared stubbornly at the opposite wall. The kick at his side was the only reaction Ono had gotten from him before he was given the phone to speak to Dino. Hibari enjoyed the look of petulance on his kidnapper's face when he managed to regain a little bit of Dino's faith. It earned him another kick, but Hibari hardly cared. 

Now though… Now, he just sat there now, silently. 

A week. Seven days of sitting here. Useless. Hibari knew that would be the worst torture of all. 

Time passed by slowly and silently down at the cell. It was hard to tell how much time had passed at all. People didn’t come by often, or at least they hadn’t yet. Ono was the only visitor Hibari had received since his capture. 

“I’m baaaack~!” 

And there he was again. 

The redhead closed the door behind him before approaching Hibari’s cell. Ono put his hands behind his back and grinned down at his prisoner cheerfully. “And how are we doing today?” he asked the other, the smile never leaving his lips. 

Hibari narrowed his eyes at Ono. The swordsman's presence was more infuriating than his situation. He could probably handle the silence. He could even probably handle the idling for a week. But this man made Hibari angry beyond anything he's ever felt. This man had caught him off-guard. Hibari wanted to kill him more than anything. But he couldn't do it now. He didn't have weapons. He didn't have his Ring. So Hibari did all he could and merely turned his head away, intent on ignoring him. 

Ono chuckled slightly at the prefect’s reaction and took a step closer, holding the bars before him in a loose grip as he leaned casually against the cell. His smile took a teasing tilt, and his expression was almost indulging. Despite his boss’ earlier warning, Ono really couldn’t help but to tease the other. The boy made it so easy. “Aw, don’t be like that, Mr. Prefect. And after all the trouble I went through to come and keep you company!” He tutted. 

"I'd rather be alone," Hibari said coldly, not looking at him. He briefly wondered how Dino was getting along without him. He knew Kusakabe could handle things well. But Dino, who was clingy to him every day... It was a wonder how the blonde was even sane when he answered the phone. 

“Hmm, would you really?” Ono murmured softly then, as if he had been waiting for those words. “I wonder if you’re the only one who feels that way. Mr. Bronco sounded so composed that time… It must be a relief for him not to have to put up with someone as childish as you anymore,” he said with a fleeting grin. 

Hibari looked at Ono when he said these words. After a moment, he actually smirked. "Hm. You're as ignorant as you look," he said with a small, brief chuckle. 

Ono’s grin strained slightly, but not a second later his eyes were dancing with amusement once more. “Oh, what a privilege! I didn’t know you knew how to laugh,” he teased the other. 

"Your stupidity is slightly entertaining," Hibari said, looking at him as his smirk disappeared. It was replaced by a glare. "But don't worry. Entertaining or not, I will kill you the moment I am able." 

Ono smirked thinly at his prisoner’s words. “I do wonder about that...” he murmured almost inaudibly, his fingers twitching slightly on the bars of the cell, as if itching to reach for something. “I’ve heard you’re strong, Mr. Prefect, but I wonder if that’s really true,” he commented airily, looking at him as he tilted his head with curiosity. His eyes seemed to darken for the first time then, although his thin humoring smile never left his lips. “Why would someone as “strong” as you waste their time with someone as weak as the Vongola, hmm?” Ono’s tone was light for the most part, but upon mentioning the Vongola, he couldn’t help but to sneer. 

Hibari raised a brow in slight confusion before he remembered what the “Vongola” were. “You mean those herbivores? I'm not with them,” he said simply, leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes as if trying to relax. 

Ono’s eyebrows shot up at these words. Could it be possible that someone had messed up that information somehow? Or perhaps the other was lying... 

 _He has to be_ , Ono thought with a contemplative frown. The Cloud Guardian had been clearly present in the Ring Battle five months ago (though, admittedly, the Cervello was involved with that, so Ono didn’t doubt that they had had a hand on that). But not a few weeks ago, the Vongola had met at the Namimori Shrine, and Hibari Kyouya had definitely been present… 

 _How to respond…_ Ono hummed in thought then as he drummed his fingers against the cell. If by some small chance the other was telling the truth, the boss would be pleased to hear it. 

“Hey, Mr. Prefect, how would you like the chance to eliminate those “herbivores” then, hmm?” he asked him, leaning back on his heels as he waited for a response. 

“I can eliminate them whenever I want. There just isn't a need to as of yet,” Hibari said, before he looked at Ono. “And if you harm one of them, I will take it as a direct offense to Namimori Middle and bite you to death without mercy.” 

Ono bit his lip slightly, trying to hide his grin at these words, but it was really too much. He burst out laughing. “Hahaha! We’ve certainly caught an interesting one this time around!” Ono attempted to control himself once more, a task that took much effort. He eventually managed, though his mouth continued to stretch into a pleased grin. “I like you, Mr. Prefect. I look forward to fighting you someday.” Ono chuckled briefly once more before leaning away from the bars and turning away. “It’s about time I get going though. I promise to pay a visit tomorrow though,” he assured him, and waved the other a careless goodbye as he began his walk back to his room. It was getting late in the day after all. “Don’t miss me too much, now!” 

Hibari narrowed his eyes. Usually when his threats weren't taken seriously, he'd beat them to a pulp with his tonfa. But he didn't have his tonfa. And he currently wasn't even in a fighting condition. So he just glared his best murderous glare, watching the redhead leave. The promise of another visit made Hibari scowl. “Don't bother,” he muttered viciously before closing his eyes and leaning his head back on the cell’s wall once more. 

Ono chuckled slightly at the Cloud Guardian’s irritable grumblings. The redhead couldn’t help but to feel particularly amused at the prefect’s attitude—it was rather refreshing, considering that most of his victims broke rather quickly under his constant attention. This thought reminded Ono of how easily he had been able to rile up the Cavallone boss over the phone. Perhaps Ono should send the other another small “surprise” over mail? Ono’s lips tilted into wicked smile as he thought of the perfect gift to send. After all, the boss had declared that particular item worthless to their goals and Ono had been given permission to do whatever he pleased with it. 

Yes... Mr. Bronco would get quite the surprise the next morning, and Ono couldn’t wait to see the blonde’s reaction.

 

* * *

 

Gokudera had been very distracted during his training session with the knife-user. His thoughts kept turning with worry as he wondered how the Tenth was doing. He still couldn’t believe that Reborn-san had left the Tenth alone with that bastard. Gokudera didn’t trust Xanxus with the Tenth one bit, whatsoever. If it wasn’t for Fon constantly reminding him to pay attention to Bel, not to mention Bel’s insistent knife throws at his direction, Gokudera would have long since left the grounds in hope to check up on his boss. 

As it was, it was only after four long frustrating hours that Gokudera had finally been able to leave. He had quickly learned his flame’s capabilities, though he had yet to put them to any good use. But none of that mattered at that moment; Gokudera could think about it later when he was back in his apartment. For now, he needed to check up on the Tenth. 

The shrine grounds were empty when he arrived. Although Xanxus’ chair was still in place, no one else was there. What worried Gokudera was that there was a lot of rubble around, indicating that there had been a fight. There was no blood anywhere, but Gokudera narrowed his eyes with suspicion anyway and quickly began to head to the Tenth’s house. 

When he arrived there, Gokudera noticed that the stupid cow had managed to trick one of the Varia guys to play hide-and-seek with him and was amused, but his feelings of worry quickly returned as he knocked on the front door. After greeting the Tenth’s Mother, Gokudera headed up the stairs and to his boss’ room. 

Tsuna had been almost afraid to return home without a shred of improvement. He imagined all the others going home with the satisfaction of progress while all Tsuna had to show for his efforts were a few extra bruises. He had tried for nearly an hour, sitting at the shrine by himself, to light his ring to no avail. Tsuna had plunged deeper and deeper into depression and doubt with every passing minute, until he couldn’t take it anymore. Once Tsuna returned home, he ignored his mother's offer of food, paid no mind to the fact that Levi was skulking around his house, calling out for the “Lightning Kid,” and just headed up to his room. The brunette bit his lip once the door was closed behind him. As he sat down on his bed, he brought up his knees and hugged them to his chest, closing his eyes tightly. Tsuna felt numb. He didn’t know for how long he sat there, but eventually, when he heard the murmurings of Gokudera's voice greeting his mother, a small bit of spark allowed him to get up and move to his bedroom door. He opened it, and when he saw Gokudera, he tried to smile. He really did. But the depression was still clear in his eyes. 

"Hey, Gokudera-kun. Come in... How was your training?" 

Gokudera’s eyes widened as he immediately took notice of his boss’ mood, as well as his current physical state. His stomach plunged as his fears were confirmed. “Tenth! Are you alright?!” Gokudera had to stop himself from reaching out to the other, whose body was littered with painful-looking bruises.  _I should have known better than to leave the Tenth alone with that Xanxus bastard!_ Gokudera thought furiously, biting his lip hard as his fingers twitched, itching to _hurt._

Tsuna closed the door after Gokudera came in and spent a moment of just staring at the painted wood before he turned to Gokudera, once again struggling to put on a smile. "I'm fine, Gokudera-kun. Don't worry about me." Tsuna found it was harder to keep that smile on his face, almost painful. How did Yamamoto do it? 

“But-!” _How can I not worry?_ Gokudera thought then, with no small amount of frustration, and wished he couldvocalize his turmoil. It hurt Gokudera to see his boss like this. Why was the Tenth even attempting to lie to him? The fact made Gokudera look down at his feet in disappointment, wondering if the Tenth still didn’t trust him… Gokudera bit his lip slightly and looked back up to plead at the other. “You can always tell me when something is bothering you, Tenth…” he said in a small voice, wanting to reassure the other. 

The words seemed to undo the last bit of resistance Tsuna had. The brunette looked down, his face hidden by his hair for a few moments before he began trembling. All of his fears and doubts began to spill out from his lips. "I... I can't do it! I can't do anything!" Tsuna whispered in quiet, distraught voice. He put his hands over his face as if afraid to allow Gokudera to see him. "I can't light the ring at all! What if when we have to go rescue Hibari-san, I still can't do it!? What if I lose!? What if someone else gets taken!?" 

Gokudera’s eyes widened at this confession. He had known the Tenth had been having difficulties... but he had thought he had fixed them by now. He wondered if there was something wrong with the ring. Perhaps Xanxus had done something to it during the Ring Battle? 

Gokudera thought all of that absently in the back of his mind, because his first and foremost concern was always the Tenth’s wellbeing. Seeing him this distressed pained the silver-haired teenager, and as much as he wanted to wrap his arms around the other and comfort him, he knew he couldn’t; shouldn’t. So instead, he hesitantly reached over, and gaining courage, he took hold of both of his boss’ hands, prying them away from his face as he looked straight into his eyes. “Tenth... please calm down,” he murmured in a soft tone. 

Tsuna looked at Gokudera, his eyes filled with tears. A sob hiccupped out from his lips. "How can I calm down?!" His voice cracked slightly. "What if I can't do it!? What if the Vendetta Family is too strong!? They'll kill Hibari-san and they'll kill you and they'll kill me!" His voice broke at the last word. It was obvious Tsuna had been wallowing in these horrible, depressing thoughts for far too long. 

Gokudera’s chest ached at the sight before him. He gripped his boss’ hands even tighter as if hoping that it would help the other calm down. “Tenth, please listen to me,” he pleaded, his voice strong and firm. “Nothing is going to happen to us. We can _win_ this,” he told the other confidently, because he had no doubt in his words. The Tenth was strong. Everyone in their Family could see that except the boss himself apparently. “Nothing is going to happen to you, Tenth. I won’t _let_ anything to happen to you.” Gokudera shook his head slightly, as if the motion would help him forget the image of the Tenth bleeding in his arms again, shot because Gokudera hadn’t been able to protect him… 

“If the Vendetta is strong, then we’ll just have to become stronger! I know we can do it, I know _you_ can do it, Tenth. We all believe in you... so please believe in yourself.” Gokudera’s eyes softened. He knew… He knew deep inside of him that the Tenth had never wanted this burden... but they were in too deep to back out now. 

Tsuna listened to Gokudera's words before looking down. "But... I can't..." He sniffed slightly, still trembling a bit. "Everyone else managed to light up their flames, but... I can't do it at all." He pulled back his hands from Gokudera's grip, leaning instead against the door. "Xanxus was right..." He looked down at the floor. "I'm nothing but trash... I'm never going to be good enough..." He shook his head slightly and bit his lip. "I... You're believing in the wrong person, Gokudera-kun..." 

Gokudera’s eyes flashed with anger at these words. _I should’ve **known** Xanxus was involved in this somehow!_ Gokudera growled and slammed his hand next to the Tenth’s head, unable to help himself. “Don’t listen to that bastard, Tenth!” He scowled furiously. “He doesn’t know that the hell he’s talking about. He doesn’t know you like we do, like I do.” Gokudera looked desperately into Tsuna’s eyes, needing to make him understand. “Tenth…” His voice began lowering again, as if suddenly realizing he had been yelling. “There’s no one else I would rather follow. I said it before, didn’t I?” The hand that was still gripping on to Tsuna’s own tightened its grip as Gokudera leaned in, just a bit closer. 

“There’s no one else in this world worthy to lead us. You’re a good boss… and a good friend. That’s why all of us follow you, Tenth. That’s why we all believe in you.” Gokudera’s eyes pleaded the other to listen. “And don’t forget that you’re not alone in this. Please believe in us too,” Gokudera murmured in a soft and earnest voice. 

When Gokudera slammed his hand next to his head, Tsuna started, looking at Gokudera with wide eyes. He was unable to break the intensity between their eye contact, and as Gokudera spoke, Tsuna felt his heart pound. Hearing all of this... even when it was from Gokudera, the one who constantly showered him with praise he felt he didn't deserve... it all hit home. Tsuna closed his eyes and clasped his hands in front of his chest tightly. "Gokudera-kun..." he whispered, "You... You're right... I'm not alone..." Tsuna opened his eyes and there was a certain fire behind it, however dim it was. "Dino-san will be helping us, and we have really strong fighters teaching us these things. Not to mention... I have you at my side." A small, more genuine smile spread across Tsuna's lips. "I was stupid to think I was alone..." 

Gokudera’s face lit up at the other’s words. He felt relieved, not to mention happy that he had managed to cheer up the brunette. He had been worried that his words wouldn’t reach him. A warm feeling bubbled at the center of Gokudera’s chest when he smiled next. “Always, Tenth,” he promised him. “No matter what, I will always be at your side.” 

Tsuna looked down at the hand still clutching his own and smiled a bit. "Thank you," he murmured softly, really thinking about what he said—about Gokudera being at his side, no matter what. He wondered if Gokudera really meant what Tsuna was thinking. Even if Tsuna wasn't the Tenth...? Or was Gokudera going to stick by the Tenth? Tsuna swallowed and released Gokudera's hand before smiling up at him again. Regardless, Gokudera was someone special to him and surely he was special to Gokudera. 

Gokudera swallowed slightly as his boss’ hand slipped away from his own. The brief action caused Gokudera to realize the position they were in and made his heart jolt into near stillness. With a stuttering breath, Gokudera took a step back and looked down at his feet, ignoring the heat that was rising on the back of his neck. 

Tsuna watched Gokudera take a step back and felt relaxed and tense all at the same time, as if the awareness of their space was both a burden and a comfort. He did his best to push this to the back of his mind though. The Sky Vongola Ring felt heavy on his finger and he fiddled with it for a moment before bringing it up. "Gokudera-kun? How did you light your ring?" He looked at him, hoping the change of subject would relieve the heavy atmosphere. 

Gokudera took a second to glance at the Tenth’s hand, where his Vongola Ring lay. His own hand tingled slightly as he remembered that only a second ago, he had been holding on to that hand. Gokudera’s stomach fluttered pleasantly at the memory, but he did his best to pay the feeling no mind, and instead focused on the Tenth’s question. He didn’t have to think about it for very long. The answer was simple. “Reborn-san said it was all about resolve,” he began explaining with an embarrassed but proud smile. “And well, my resolve is to always be at your side and to protect you, Tenth,” Gokudera told him, and by just his mere words, the Storm Ring in his hand lit up. Gokudera’s smile turned sheepish. 

Tsuna blushed slightly at these words even though he already knew Gokudera's resolve. It was just every time he heard them, it was like hearing them for the first time. To have someone at his side so devoted to him; to have someone protect him and someone to protect in exchange... Tsuna lifted his fist and stared at his ring with a new, calmer mind. What did he want most? He wanted... He wanted to be happy with his friends. He wanted to make sure no one hurt them. He wanted to protect them from anyone who threatened their peace. Tsuna closed his eyes as he thought about these things... and when he opened them again, the Vongola Ring was enveloped in a bright orange Sky Flame. 

“You did it, Tenth!” Gokudera beamed proudly at the other, and unable to help himself, reached over to take the other’s hand excitedly, as if to examine it closer. The flame shone impressively bright, and Gokudera had a pretty good idea as to why. 

Of course, Gokudera had always known the Tenth would be able to light his ring. He realized then that it was only because of the Tenth’s constant, unrelenting worrying—and of course the Tenth, with his kind, loving heart, would worry—that he had unable to do so before. “I knew you could do it, Tenth!” 

"Ha... I... I did it..." Tsuna stared in shock at the flames on his ring before smiling brightly. "I did it!" His eyes were filled to the brim with happiness. "And it’s all thanks to you! I would have never done it without you!" Tsuna smiled happily. "Thank you, Gokudera-kun!" 

Gokudera flushed at the Tenth’s words. The flame on his own ring seemed to increase in intensity as well. “Y-you’re welcome, Tenth!” Gokudera stammered a bit, as if somewhat speechless at his boss’ fervent gratitude. He couldn’t keep his own grin off of his face though. 

Tsuna spent some more time together with Gokudera. He asked Gokudera about his training with Belphegor and briefly wondered how everyone else was doing. It was in the middle of all of this that he heard Lambo’s loud laugh coming from downstairs. Levi's yells subsequently interrupted their discussion, and the reminder that there was still a Varia member in his house made Tsuna sigh slightly. 

Gokudera frowned upon hearing his boss’ sigh. After all, he had been doing his best to try to continue to keep the Tenth’s mood up. “Tch, what’s that stupid Varia member doing in here anyway?” Gokudera scowled. His scowl deepened further when he heard Lambo begin to make more of a racket. As Gokudera stood up to see what the commotion was about, there was a loud crash, followed by an even louder wail coming from no one other than the obnoxious Bovino brat. Gokudera’s eyes narrowed and he gave his boss a slightly strained smile. “Hold on a second, Tenth,” he told him, and before the other could blink, Gokudera was gone from the room. 

Tsuna heard the crash and frowned with a bit of worry. Despite Gokudera's request to stay, Tsuna followed him to see if Lambo was alright. 

"It wasn't my fault!" Levi said immediately, pointing to Lambo. "He wasn't watching where he was going!" 

Sometimes it was a wonder that Levi was several times older than Lambo was. 

Lambo merely wailed louder, not moving from his spot on the floor. It seemed that he had run into one of the walls. It was actually a surprise that the five-year-old hadn’t jumped into his bazooka yet. 

 _All for the better anyway_ , Gokudera thought rather scathingly, feeling particularly paranoid over said weapon. If the Tenth ever managed to get hit by it again, Gokudera was going to follow after him immediately. 

Suddenly irritated by this trail of thought, Gokudera scowled in the direction of the stupid cow. “Quit crying already, moron!” he growled, picking the kid up off the floor. 

Lambo immediately began struggling against the hold. “LEMME GO, LEMME GO!” he screeched loudly, his tears, snot, and even his spit sprinkling about as he did so. He was struggling so much that it dislodged a lot of the items he usually kept in his hair, such as bunch of old candy, some coins, as well as his irreplaceable Vongola Ring. 

"Ah, wait, Gokudera-kun, let me take him!" Tsuna hurried over and took Lambo into his arms. "Hey, now, it’s alright. If you stop crying we can go downstairs and see if Mom has some treats for you," he said softly, encouraging the other with a smile. "Does that sound good?" 

Lambo sniffed loudly, immediately comforted at the prospect of snacks. “Lambo-san wants cookies!” he demanded sullenly and sniffled again. Then, after seemly considering his words seriously for a moment, he nodded decisively. “LAMBO-SAN WANTS COOKIES! GIMME, GIMME!” He wriggled in Tsuna’s arms wildly. 

Gokudera growled and raised a threatening fist in the brat’s direction. “You damn greedy cow! At least have some manners when asking for things!” He bristled. 

"Lambo! Don't be greedy!" I-Pin ran up, having heard Lambo's yells. 

Tsuna laughed slightly. "It’s alright. Let's go, Lambo, I-Pin. I think we have some extra cookies you two can snack on," he said, after shooting Gokudera small smile, he moved to walk down the stairs with Lambo in his arms as I-Pin and Levi followed from behind. 

“Grr...” Gokudera’s fingers twitched slightly as he grumbled with irritation, but he took a moment to take a deep breath then, and allowed his irritation to leave him with it. The Tenth really was too kind and wonderful to be able to endure the stupid cow’s antics on a daily basis. Gokudera would go crazy if he was in his boss’ position. 

Gokudera let out another sigh then, a fond smile lingering on his lips as he did. He made to follow after them, but as he took a step forward, his foot stepped on something hard but small. Gokudera lifted his foot and looked down, only to find Lambo’s Lightning Ring on the floor. “Tch, that damn cow. He needs to take better care of this thing!” He grumbled to himself as he picked it up and absently slipped it on one of his free fingers before proceeding to head down the stairs and to the kitchen. He hoped the Tenth had been able to calm the brat down. 

Downstairs, they did indeed have some extra cookies. Tsuna gave a few to Lambo and I-Pin; even Levi was nibbling on one at the corner of the table. The Lightning Varia member had a rather cross and tired look on his face since he had been chasing after Lambo all day. 

Gokudera arrived to see this rather peaceful scene. Lambo wasn’t making that much of a fuss anymore. He was happily stuffing his mouth with cookies. The Tenth was looking very cheerful at their side. There was this relaxed air about him that Gokudera hadn’t seen for days… Gokudera was happy to have been able to put a smile back on the Tenth’s face. It was that smile that Gokudera longed to protect… 

As usual, Gokudera’s Storm Ring lit up as it felt his resolve. However, what was surprising was that, at that moment, Lambo’s Lightning Ring also lit up brightly in his hand, its green flame shining just as intensely. “Whoa…!” Gokudera let out a startled gasp at that, staring at his hand in shock. 

Lambo wholeheartedly agreed. “P-PRETTY LIGHT!” The Bovino gaped at Gokudera’s hand. He dropped the cookie he had been about to shove inside his mouth as he rushed to the dynamite-user’s side, jumping up and down excitedly as he tried to reach for the light. 

Tsuna had been focusing on the kids right up until he heard Gokudera's gasp. As he looked over at the other, his eyes immediately widened. Gokudera's Storm Flames were coming out of his ring but also... "Are those... Lightning Flames?" Tsuna walked over to look at the rings and recognized Lambo's ring immediately. 

"You can summon two flames," Reborn said with a slightly impressed tone. "Not many people are able to do that." 

Tsuna jumped slightly at Reborn’s voice and looked around the room before spotting him at the table, looking as if he had been sitting there all along. He gaped for a moment, but that’s when he registered his tutor’s words, which made him turn back to look at his right-hand man. "Gokudera-kun, that's amazing!" he said. 

Gokudera’s eyes were still transfixed on his hand. He was speechless. But upon hearing the Tenth’s as well as Reborn-san’s praise, a proud flush spread across his face, which was accompanied by a wide grin. “Hehe, it’s nothing, Tenth! I’m sure you could be able to do something like this too!” he said, as always unable to accept a simple compliment. 

Lambo continued to interrupt excitedly in the background. “Hey! Lambo-san wants to see too!” he whined as he began crawling up Gokudera’s legs to reach for the rings. 

"Lambo! Be patient!" I-Pin scolded from the table. 

Tsuna picked Lambo up so he could get a closer look at the rings. "I don't think so, Gokudera-kun. Here, let me try," he said and held out the hand his Vongola Ring was on. As he was holding onto Lambo, he was unable to put the rings on himself. 

Gokudera quickly took off both of his rings and slipped them into the Tenth’s fingers. Although his excited flush was receding, there was a different kind of blush lingering at his cheeks now. After all, this action felt kind of personal… as if he was proposing or something. When his fingers softly brushed against the Tenth’s own, Gokudera felt a spark rushing beneath his skin and he was quick to let go of the other. 

Lambo struggled in Tsuna’s arms, impatient to get to the rings. But he was disappointed when the light show was over and began whining about it. He quickly jumped off of Tsuna’s arms, distracted by the fact that Reborn was actually around. He began bugging him as per usual. 

As this was something that Reborn wanted to see, he wasted no time in kicking Lambo clear across the room before watching Tsuna and Gokudera experiment with the rings. 

Tsuna also blushed slightly as the rings were put on, but he didn’t let his mind linger on his embarrassment. He closed his fist and concentrated, but while his Vongola Ring lit up with the Sky Flames, the other two rings had no reaction. Tsuna allowed the flame to fade away before he tried again. Once more, the Sky Flame was the only flame that lit up. Tsuna shook his head. "I can't," he said, before looking at Gokudera, clearly impressed. "You're amazing, Gokudera-kun." 

Gokudera’s blush returned with full force at the words. He didn’t know how else to respond other than to stammer out an embarrassed thank-you. 

Reborn smiled at this before looking at Tsuna as he returned the rings to Gokudera. "Tsuna, call over the Guardians. We should check to see if anyone else can use more than one flame. This could give us an advantage when we face the Vendetta Family." 

Tsuna looked at Reborn and nodded with a slightly relieved smile. They were slowly gaining advantages and Tsuna was slowly gaining confidence. 

If things kept up this way, there was no way they would lose.

 

* * *

 

It didn’t take long for everyone to get to Tsuna’s house. Once they were all gathered in his room, Reborn moved to sit in the middle of the table and explained the situation. 

"That's awesome, Gokudera!" Yamamoto immediately exclaimed once Reborn informed them of Gokudera's second flame. "I wonder if I have something other than Rain." 

“THAT’S AN EXTREME ADVANTAGE! GOOD JOB, OCTOPUS HEAD!” Ryohei exclaimed as he pumped up a fist in the air. He too wondered if he had any other types of flames. He still wasn’t too sure what exactly made them useful, but it seemed important. 

Gokudera’s proud grin never faltered, not even at the lawnhead’s irritating nickname. 

“Lambo-san wants to see the pretty lights! Hurry! Hurry!” the five-year-old whined impatiently. 

Reborn nodded, completely ignoring Lambo. "So, all of you, try on each other's rings so we can see what we're working with." 

Chrome, who was standing by herself at the entrance of Tsuna’s room once again, took a few steps closer to take part in the ring exchanges. Tsuna and Yamamoto were slightly disappointed when they had no extra flames. Chrome, on the other hand, didn't have much of a reaction upon seeing that she was pure Mist. Ryohei let out a disappointed groan when he too was unable to light any of the other rings. He turned to examine the bomb-user, wondering why he was the only one able to do it. He asked, bluntly. 

“How am I supposed to know?” Gokudera shrugged, since he really didn’t know. As he did, he didn’t know why but he felt the urge to try the other rings off anyway. He was pretty sure that none of them would light up, since being able to use two flames was rare enough. But much to his surprise, both the Sun Ring as well as the Rain Ring activated quickly in his hands. Gokudera stared at his hands with wide eyes, dumbfounded at this discovery. 

Tsuna stared wide-eyed at Gokudera’s hands as well, while Reborn just smiled in satisfaction. This meeting was less for the others as much as it was for Gokudera. 

"Four flames!" Tsuna sat still in his shock before he smiled, looking greatly impressed. "Gokudera-kun, you're amazing! Everyone can only light one flame, but you can light four!" 

"Great job, Gokudera!" Yamamoto said with a wide grin. 

“Extreme!” Ryohei agreed, looking curious and impressed. He was disappointed that he hadn’t been able to light any other ring, but that merely meant he’d have to train harder to make up for it! 

“PRETTY LIGHT!” Lambo finally cheered as he moved to throw himself over to Gokudera…or, more specifically, to cling on to the dynamite-user’s hand. 

Gokudera still didn’t know what to say. “How is this even possible, Reborn-san?” he stammered out wonderingly, trying to ignore how embarrassed he felt by all the praise he was suddenly receiving. Upon seeing Lambo launching himself at him, he dodged and moved to grab the cow by the back of his pajamas. Lambo squirmed in frustration. Gokudera vaulted him across the room. 

"It’s possible, as we can very well see," Reborn said, moving to the edge of the table in front of Gokudera. "I'll inform Fon about this so Belphegor can make some changes to your tutoring. This is going to be a great asset in battle." The Sun Arcobaleno smiled.

"I'm counting on you, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said with a happy smile. Gokudera was... amazing. Then again, even before he knew about the flames, Tsuna always thought that Gokudera was particularly talented.

"We're all counting on you!" Yamamoto nodded with a smile as Ryohei shouted his own vote of approval at his side.

"There's only one problem," Reborn said, turning serious. "Gokudera can't use the other flames unless he has the rings for them. And we can’t simply take away the Vongola Rings from the other Guardians."

"That's true!" Tsuna's happy feeling crashed into the pit of his stomach. "Does that mean Gokudera-kun can't use the other flames when we fight the Vendetta Family?"

"I'll look into finding some rings for you, Gokudera," Reborn said. "I'll make sure to keep you updated." He couldn't contact Italy for the rings. The Vendetta Family might take it the wrong way... Where could they get more rings? 

Gokudera's happy mood also plummeted slightly at that realization. Where _could_ they get more rings? He highly doubted that the Varia would hand over theirs... although if worse came to worst, perhaps they would. He hoped Reborn-san would be able to solve this problem—they really needed all the advantages they could get.

Speaking of which... "Reborn-san, have you been able to find out more information about the Vendetta? Or Hibari?" he asked, a serious frown tugging at his lips. 

The room became slightly tense at this question and Reborn when spoke next, his voice took a business-like tone. "The Disciplinary Committee and about half of Dino's men are searching Namimori. Colonnello and Fon are on the lookout as well. We've searched almost every building and we haven't found a clue as to where the Vendetta Family is hiding."

"No way..." Tsuna slumped over slightly. "But... We still have a lot of time left. I'm sure we'll find something, right, Reborn?"

Reborn nodded. "We have to. There's no other choice."

"How do we even know if they're in Namimori?" Yamamoto spoke up, with a rare serious look on his face.

"They would have told us otherwise," Reborn said. "The Vendetta Family made a point of saying that they wanted to fight us in a week's time. I think they expect and want us to find their base by then." 

"Cocky bastards..." Gokudera growled deep from his throat, irritated at the enemy's clear slap in the face—to want to challenge them in a direct fight as well as to imply that they would be unable to find them in earlier than a week's time... The bastards pissed him off.  

"Agreed." Reborn smiled thinly before checking the time. "It’s getting late. Everyone, return home and get a good night's rest for training tomorrow."

Yamamoto smiled. "Yeah, I should get going. Squalo said he was going to pick me up really early." He looked at Chrome. "Want me to walk you back?"

"Ah, you don't have to..." Chrome said, holding on to her trident, looking down.

"Um, please let Yamamoto walk you, Chrome," Tsuna spoke up. "Just to be safe."

"Un... Okay, Boss..." Chrome said with a small nod, blushing slightly at Tsuna's smile. 

“YOSH! Let’s all do our best in our extreme training! For Hibari!” Ryohei rooted ardently. And they all had to smile back at that, and vowed in agreement. 

Soon after that, the gang dispersed. As usual, Gokudera was the last to leave. He helped out for a bit to clean up, feeling almost reluctant to leave for some reason. Part of their earlier conversation was still lingering in his mind. He worried over the Tenth’s wellbeing, especially knowing that his boss would have to train with Xanxus the following day once again… 

As Tsuna cleaned up with Gokudera, he realized something. He hurried to his feet and out his bedroom door before returning a few moments later. "Augh... Levi already left..." he muttered. "I was going to ask him to have Xanxus meet me at the shrine tomorrow." He gulped nervously. "I'm going to have to go to his hotel room and talk to him there..." 

Gokudera’s head snapped up in the direction of the Tenth as he heard this. The words “Xanxus” and “hotel room” in the same sentence made alarm sounds ring in Gokudera’s mind. “T-tenth! Is that really necessary?!” he rushed to ask, nearly dropping the tea cups in his hands—but thankfully he was able to put them back down just in time. 

Tsuna looked at Gokudera and sighed slightly. "I was planning to ask Levi to tell Xanxus, but the whole thing with the flames made me forget to ask him." He picked up the cups Gokudera put down. "But it'll be okay," he said, half trying to convince Gokudera and half trying to convince himself. 

If Gokudera was a dog, his ears would have visibly drooped at this explanation. “I’m sorry for making such an inconvenience for you, Tenth!” he apologized earnestly, looking noticeably upset as he bowed. “If you wish, I’ll go to the hotel right now so you won’t have to do it tomorrow!” The way Gokudera was already glancing at the door said a lot of what he thought about this idea. 

Tsuna blinked before he immediately shook his head. "No way, Gokudera-kun! That's not an inconvenience at all!" he said quickly. He forgot how easily Gokudera took his words out of hand. "I think it’s very impressive and a good asset to have. It’s not inconvenient at all. I should have remembered," he spoke soothingly so Gokudera would stay calm. "And I'd rather go meet Xanxus myself. I'll go tomorrow in the morning when the rest of the Varia have already left." 

Gokudera hesitated to agree—he could picture a thousand things going wrong tomorrow the moment the Tenth went to meet with the Varia boss—but the Tenth’s soothing words, kind compliments, not to mention the fact that the rest of the Varia members would likely be gone, finally made him nod in acquiescence. “If you say so, Tenth,” he said, though the worried frown remained on his face. 

Tsuna nodded and smiled, letting the subject drop as the two headed down to the kitchen. Inside, Reborn was sitting at the table, sipping an espresso. "It’s getting late," the Arcobaleno mentioned offhandedly without glancing up at them. 

“Ah, it is, isn't it...” Tsuna's face turned to worry and he looked at Gokudera. "I don't want you to walk home so late... Do you want to sleep over tonight?" 

Gokudera was startled at the suggestion and it showed on his face. “I…I don’t want to be an inconvenience, Tenth!” he replied automatically, looking honestly lost as of what to do in this situation. This was the first time the Tenth had actually ever offered him this privilege—not that Gokudera had even considered asking him in the first place, since this was after all _The Tenth’s House._  

For some reason, while it felt perfectly acceptable for the Tenth to sleep over at his house, when it was the other way around, Gokudera felt slightly uncomfortable. 

Tsuna smiled on reflex. "If it was inconvenient, I wouldn't have asked, Gokudera-kun," he said, sighing quietly as he put the tea cups down in the sink. "There's an extra futon I can pull out and put in my room, so it’s fine," he said, before turning to usher the other out of the kitchen. "Come on. Let's go set up the futon for you." 

Gokudera knew that staying was the logical thing to do. It really was late into the night now, and he didn’t want to worry the Tenth by heading home at this hour—not when the ever-present threat of their enemies was a constant thought in the back of everyone’s minds. Plus, if Gokudera stayed over, he might be able to accompany the Tenth when he went to see Xanxus… So it was with these thoughts that Gokudera allowed himself to agree. 

However, when the Tenth mentioned the sleeping arrangements, Gokudera’s face flushed brightly with embarrassment. He was going to sleep in the same room as the Tenth! Not even at Gokudera’s place had that happened. Although a lot of other things certainly did and—Gokudera stopped that thought before it continued. “I... I don’t mind sleeping out here! I-” he immediately protested, but he hesitated to continue as he remembered that his sister was also a resident of the Sawada household. What if she came to the kitchen in the middle of the night or something? Gokudera blanched at the thought. 

Tsuna's eyes widened slightly and he quickly shook his head. "Gokudera-kun, really, it’s okay! I don't want the kids to wake you up early in the morning," he insisted. "Come on." He beckoned the bomb-user up the stairs, wanting to set up the futon before Gokudera decided that staying over was simply too much trouble. 

Gokudera hesitated for a second before finally following the other up the stairs. “Thank you for letting me stay over, Tenth...” he told the other shyly once they got back up to his room. “I really didn’t mean to stay so late…” He began to apologize, not really knowing what else to say at this moment. After all, the last time they had stayed alone in a room together… Gokudera averted his eyes from the other as the memory of their kiss flashed forward in his mind. 

"Don't worry about it, Gokudera-kun. I don't mind," Tsuna said before opening up his closet and pulling out a folded up futon from the corner. He set it up next to his bed and got an extra pillow and some blankets from the hall closet. "Here," he said, glancing up at the other once he was done putting everything down. However, the sight of Gokudera's averted eyes reminded him of the same thing Gokudera was trying so hard to forget about. Tsuna’s face heated up slightly and he hurried back over to his closet to grab some pajamas. 

“Ah, um, do you need me to help you with anything, Tenth?” Gokudera finally thought to ask, noticing the other was still shuffling around the room. 

"No, no, it’s okay." Tsuna shook his head slightly, holding folded pajamas in his hands. "Um... I don't think any of my clothes will fit you... I'm sorry about that." 

“You don’t have to apologize for anything, Tenth! I’m the one imposing on you after all!” Gokudera shook his head before eagerly reaching for the clothes, as if hoping the gesture would reassure the other that Gokudera was completely fine with it. “I’ll go change then!” he announced immediately and left for the bathroom. 

It was only once he was inside that he realized that the Tenth was letting him borrow _clothes_. Gokudera’s eyes widened as he stared down at the pajamas in his hands. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had already implied being okay with wearing these, he would have rushed back to return the clothes. As it was, it was only after some more embarrassed blushing that Gokudera finally made his way back to the Tenth’s room, wearing the borrowed pajamas. They were a just little bit tighter and shorter on him than he was used to, but he was overall fine with it. He thanked the other timidly for the clothes. 

Tsuna, whom had already changed himself into pajamas while Gokudera was out, couldn't help but laugh quietly at the sight before him. The silver-haired teen didn't look bad, but it was definitely different. "You’re welcome, Gokudera-kun," he said, smiling as he moved to sat down on his bed (as he already knew Gokudera would never let him sleep on the futon). Tsuna looked up at his right-hand man then. "Thanks for today, Gokudera-kun. You really helped me out. I can't thank you enough." 

Gokudera’s eyes softened at his boss’ words, and his heart leapt at the sight of his smile. “It was nothing, Tenth. I’m glad I was able to help you.” The silver-haired teen moved over towards where the futon was and became keenly aware of how close he was going to be sleeping to his boss. Gokudera began fiddling with the covers of the futon as he sat down, wondering where Reborn-san was and if he was actually going to sleep here tonight. Gokudera wasn’t sure if the prospect was reassuring or not.

Tsuna smiled a bit and looked down at his knees. He was unable to think of anything to say, but he wanted to say so much. He bit his lip for a moment before willing himself to relax in case Gokudera got all strung up. If the silver-haired teen knew Tsuna was getting tense because of his presence, who knew what he'd do. 

But in the end, even the silence ended up making Gokudera tense up slightly. The bomb-user’s nerves were beginning to fray as he realized that he wasn’t sure of what to say at this moment either. Had it always been this hard, this awkward, when he was alone with Tsuna? Or was it just because of their… kiss? Gokudera swallowed. _Why can’t I stop thinking about that today?_ Gokudera thought, biting his lip with frustration as he began to berate himself for feeling this way. Wanting to distract himself, the bomb-user glanced up from his lap to look at his boss. Gokudera was surprised to see the brunette’s relaxed expression. He wondered what the Tenth was thinking about. What could possibly be making him smile like that? Whatever it was, Gokudera was glad for it. With everything that had been happening lately, that smile was beginning to become a rarity. Gokudera hoped that smile was there tomorrow… He hoped nothing else went wrong. 

“We... We should get to sleep soon,” Gokudera suggested after another moment. As loathe as he was to disrupt the precious expression on his boss’ face, they had another hard day to deal with tomorrow, and they’d need all the rest they could get. (Not to mention Gokudera was afraid that he might do something stupid if he continued to stay awake.) “If anything happens, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to come to me, Tenth,” Gokudera told the other earnestly, referring not only to tomorrow’s training, but also any other thing his boss might need. 

Tsuna nodded slightly at Gokudera’s first suggestion and stood up to turn off the lights. But at his next statement, Tsuna turned to look at Gokudera. His gaze became soft, and his smile turned bright as he sought to assure the other. "Don't worry, I will,” he said. “I won't keep anything from you anymore," he promised, before turning off the lights and heading back to his bed. 

Gokudera felt immensely happy at those words. After all this time, he had somehow finally managed to get the Tenth to fully open up to him; Gokudera was glad. He smiled equally as brightly as he moved to settle down under the futon. 

There was a brief moment of silence then, where all they could hear where each other’s breaths and their own heartbeats. Finally, Tsuna’s voice broke through the darkness of the room. "Good night, Gokudera-kun," he whispered before moving to pull his covers over himself. 

 “…Good night, Tenth,” Gokudera murmured quietly in return as he turned to face the opposite wall and closed his eyes. He had a feeling that if he faced the Tenth’s bed he would stay up all night, unable to stop staring at the other in his sleep. 

It was to the soft breaths of the Tenth and the warm feeling in his own chest that Gokudera fell to his most peaceful of sleeps. 

Meanwhile, in a different house several miles away, Dino turned restlessly under the covers of his too-empty futon, haunted by lingering scent of his lover.

 


	17. Target 16: Lightning Strikes

 

* * *

**DAY TWO**

* * *

The room was dark. 

The kind with no windows and no doors, with only an odd flickering light bulb that seemed to be struggling to come on. Struggling to survive just a bit longer. 

It was a quiet room. Dino knew that he was not alone, but it felt like he was. It was eerily silent, and the blonde could only hear his own quiet breaths and the loud beating of his heart at his ears. 

Kyouya was lying helplessly at his feet. 

Dino cannot see this, but he knows this. The prefect wasn’t making a sound, and this worried Dino. Because even when the other was silent, Dino could always hear him—his soft quiet breaths, the twitching of his fingers as he reached for his weapons, the slight shuffle of irritation in his step... 

There was only dead silence. 

Dino was afraid to look down at his feet. He was afraid of opening his eyes. There was a rigid tension in his limbs that prevented him from doing so, and something inside of him was screaming, screeching, but Dino didn't know what or why. Dino didn’t know, because he didn’t want to know. 

But look. Strong, unbreakable Kyouya was lying at his feet, looking pale, way too pale, and oddly ghastly. It was a sight that would send a world of pain to the blonde's chest, make his knees buckle until he was on the ground, clutching tightly at the prefect's body as if afraid to let go. So Dino didn't look, didn't open his eyes. He stood still and unmoving and keenly aware of the body at his feet. 

But there, look. There was that irritable defiant snarl at his lips, ever-present. And there, look at how his eyelashes seem to flutter, as if he was just waking up from his sleep. 

There, look. Look at how he stays still, prone and unmoving. Look at how his strong pale hands lie limply against the floor, just barely brushing against the leather of Dino's boot. 

There, look. _Open your eyes_ , a voice whispered loudly at his ears, and it made Dino want to shake his head wildly in denial, as if the action could make him forget. But the truth was, Dino already knew that his lover was dead. He just didn't want to admit it. 

Dino didn’t want to open his eyes. 

But he does. 

And when he does, his tired, pained, and weary eyes can only meet the sight of Kyouya's ceiling. His clutching hands are gripping—not at Kyouya’s prone lifeless body—but at soft lonely sheets that missed their owner. 

 _He's alive_ , Dino reassured himself, taking a moment to breathe in the lingering scent of his missing lover, before very painstakingly moving to get out from within his lover’s futon.

 

* * *

 

Aria arrived to Hibari's house that morning with a feeling of dread hanging over her head. She knew something was wrong. She knew something bad was going to happen very soon. As she approached the entrance to the house, she noticed the corner of an envelope sticking out of the mailbox. She stared at it for a moment before giving into her urge and walking over. She opened the mailbox and pulled it out, immediately frowning. The front of the envelope didn't have an address at all. There was only one thing written on the front. 

 _“Mr. Bronco.”_  

She checked the mailbox once more and spotted an orange plastic envelope inside, once again addressed to _“Mr. Bronco.”_ Aria bit her lip and held on to the orange pacifier around her neck. After a few moments, she hurried inside to the house, carrying both items. “Dino? Are you awake?” she called, going to the bedroom but not entering. “Dino, there's something here you should see!” 

Dino was in the middle of getting dressed when he heard Aria’s voice. He turned, becoming quickly alert at her urgent tone of voice, and nearly tripped as he rushed towards the bedroom door. “What is it?” he asked the Arcobaleno immediately as slammed the door open. He made quite a sight with his not-yet-brushed hair, unbuttoned shirt, and wide, worn-out eyes. 

Aria paid no attention to Dino’s ragged appearance. It was, after all, early in the morning. Besides, there were more important things to discuss. “These things came in the mail today...” she explained quietly as she held out the two envelopes. “I haven't opened them yet.” 

Instinctually, Dino knew that it was dangerous to open suspicious mail without checking it over first. Dino could faintly smell the telltale scent of breakfast being made in the kitchen, indicating Romario was nearby. He should call him. But Dino’s haunting recollection of Kyouya’s prone body at his feet made the blonde act unreasonably, reaching for the envelope, tearing it open in a maddening hurry, shoving his hand deep inside to see what the enemy had sent now—would it be another picture, cruelly showing Dino his deepest, darkest fears? Would Kyouya’s eyes be flashing in defiance or would they be dull, flickering out like a dying light bulb? 

It was worse than Dino imagined. 

The moment his hand made contact with the inside, Dino’s stomach turned in horrified nausea. There was something damp sticking to the skin of his hand, a somewhat warm, all-too-familiar liquid that made the blonde gag on reflex and pull his hand back out hurriedly, dropping the envelope in the process. 

Blood. It trickled out slowly from the orange envelope and into Kyouya’s immaculate floor. There was a small glint of metal inside, peering out the opening of the package, but Dino paid it no mind, because he was trying hard not to throw up and fall on his knees. He stared at his bloodied hand in a horrified trance, while his other wavered from his stomach to his throat, as if not sure which one to hold on to prevent the blonde from throwing up all over the floor. 

Aria paled at the sight, but it only took a moment for her to regain her composure and take Dino's clean hand. She hurriedly and softly ushered him over to the bathroom. "I need you to relax, Dino," she said with a kind and soothing tone as she gently washed his hand clean. "We have no idea whose blood this is. We don't even know if this is real blood. It’s possible the kidnapper just wants to trick you. Please calm down..." she said, her voice stern and unwavering, but soft and calming. 

Dino made a keen noise of despair at his throat, completely unaware that he had been moved, or of the water running over his hand, washing away the blood. There had been so _much_ of it. Dino could still feel it dripping from his hands, could still see it coating over his fingers. It was so hard to listen to Aria’s reasonable words when all Dino could remember was Kyouya’s body, pale—from blood loss, his mind supplied—and unmoving at his feet. 

Aria finished cleaning his hand before she looked at him. "Dino! I need you to focus!" she said, splashing a small handful of cold water on to his face. She couldn't lose him like this. "You must pull yourself together for Hibari!" 

The water did its job. Dino flinched as it hit his face, landing on his eyes and cheeks. He blinked reflexively. “S-sorry,” he murmured slightly as his vision focused back on what was present, instead of on what hadn’t happened yet—what Dino would never let happen. The blonde took a deep shaky breath and tried his best to compose himself. He felt... embarrassed by his reaction. Dino knew that if Reborn had been here, he would’ve kicked Dino painfully for jumping to conclusions. 

“Boss,” Romario’s voice broke through then as he stepped into the bathroom. He was carrying the thin, white envelope in one hand, and a bloodied ring in the other. His expression was serious, if not concerned for his boss. He seemed unsure of whether to hand over the items he carried. 

Aria breathed a small sigh of relief. "Dino. We must think of all possibilities before jumping to the worst one," she reprimanded him softly. When Romario walked in, Aria stood forward to take the two things herself. She took the ring before handing Dino the envelope. "No matter what you see in here, you must be calm. You must keep a cool head. This too is part of your training." She smiled sadly at him. "It’s okay to care and to love, Dino, but you must not lose yourself so easily."

Dino looked properly abashed at his reaction. “I know...” he sighed, a small sound of frustration directed at himself. Reborn had told him this so many times already, but for Dino, it was very hard not to _care_ as strongly as he did. It was a part of him that he just couldn’t help—it was the reason why Dino strived to do his best when it came to protecting his men, his _family._  

He took another deep calming breath. _No more mistakes_ , Dino reminded himself as he reached the offered envelope. Inside, there was only a small simple note. 

 **“I figured you would like this back, Mr. Bronco. We have no use for it anymore. **☺**** **”**  

It was unsigned, save for the mocking smiley face at the end—and if not for the obvious nickname, that enough would have been a clear indication of who had sent this. 

As Dino read the note, Aria finished cleaning the ring. She frowned. It was what she expected. "It's Hibari’s ring," she said with a small sigh, holding out the Vongola Cloud Ring. She looked at Romario. "I will take care of Dino, Romario. Please don't worry," she said, giving him a small smile. 

Dino reached for the ring, looking heartbreakingly sad but at the same time controlled. This made Romario nod hesitantly, and after giving his boss one more concern look, he moved to get some cleaning supplies to clean up the blood pooling outside the bedroom. Hibari would likely complain if he found even a smudge of that left when he came back. 

“Aria,” Dino spoke up then, his voice serious and his eyes determined. “When are we beginning our training?” The blonde had crumpled up the letter tightly in his hand, the hand where his own Sky Flame shone brightly next to where Kyouya’s ring now rested. 

Aria gave Dino a small smile and nodded. "We’ll be beginning soon. For right now, get dressed, and eat the breakfast your right-hand man worked so hard on. We can start after that." She smiled at him kindly. Aria knew exactly what to train Dino in today. 

Dino nodded firmly and headed back to his bedroom to finish dressing up. To his own frustration, not a couple steps into his journey, he tripped over his wandering turtle and let out a hiss of pain as his forehead slammed against the floor. 

Aria couldn't help but let out a small laugh. She walked over and bent down, offering a hand to help the blonde back to his feet. "Everything's going to be fine," she reassured him. 

Something about Aria was really very comforting, and it allowed Dino to muster up a smile in return as he took up the offered hand. “Ahn,” he murmured and nodded in agreement, feeling confident in of her words. Everything was going to be just fine. 

Aria smiled softly to Dino and nodded before ushering him off to the bedroom. Once Dino was in the bedroom, she gave a thoughtful look to the blood Romario was cleaning up. She moved to the back garden, and called Reborn to inform him about what Dino had just received in the mail. She reassured him that Dino was alright and that she had it under control, and Reborn believed her. After a few moments, Reborn told her a story of his own. The Tenth's right-hand man was able to use four different flames. It could be five, considering they haven't tried the Cloud Ring just yet. Reborn entrusted Aria with the information that he didn't want to call into Italy for rings in case the Vendetta Family took it the wrong way. Aria smiled and told Reborn she'd take care of it. After bidding Reborn goodbye, she dialed a second number. Gamma was probably going to have a heart attack, seeing her call after disappearing like this. 

Gamma, who was currently driving around the streets of Namimori, was startled when his phone began to ring. He hurriedly stopped his car and reached over to pick up his phone, wondering, hoping, that it was who he thought it was. The caller ID confirmed it. 

“Boss?” Gamma called out into the phone, sounding extremely relieved.  

"Good morning, Gamma." Aria smiled at the sound of her right-hand man’s voice. "How are you?" she asked as she sat down on the porch, looking out at the well-kept back garden of Hibari's house. 

Gamma made a small noise of frustration in the back of his throat at that question. His boss knew perfectly well that he was worried out of his mind—after all, Aria had left without a word, not to mention without protection, and had taken a plane to this town for no apparent reason. He got straight to the point. “Where are you? Are you alright?” he asked, frowning as his fingers twitched nervously atop of the steering wheel. 

"I'm perfectly fine," Aria answered with a small laugh. She did feel bad for leaving Gamma like this sometimes, but she had Reborn. And where Gamma would follow her to the ends of the earth, sometimes she'd rather he stay with the Family. Thought this time, she was glad he had followed her. "But I do need to talk to you. Everything's fine, I just need a favor," she said, before giving him Hibari's address. 

Gamma let out a sigh of relief as his boss relinquished her current location. He was slightly worried about what the favor could be, but his boss sounded fine for now, and he would be seeing her soon to make sure of that himself. “I’ll be there soon,” he told her. “Take care, Boss,” he added, before quickly hanging up. 

He made his way over there in no time, parking outside the gates of a rather luxurious, if not old-fashioned, Japanese house. Gamma was only slightly impressed. He was more worried about the fact that his boss was currently staying in the residence of a fellow Mafia member. Gamma gazed uneasily around at the amount of guards lingering around, just only slightly out of sight. 

When Gamma arrived, Aria walked out the front door with a smile. "See? I'm perfectly unscathed," she said, doing a turn to show Gamma that she was unharmed, before walking over. She pressed a brief kiss to his cheek before pulling back with a smile. "Nothing to worry about," she assured him. 

Gamma started slightly as his boss leaned over to kiss his cheek. His face flushed brightly. “B-boss!” he protested, and his eyes darted around to look at the surrounding guards, all whom were curiously absent now. Gamma felt his stomach muscles twitch slightly, but he tried to shake off his unease. “You made the whole Family worry, you know,” he reprimanded her, frowning, though a moment later, he was sighing and mustering up a small smile. “Well? What was it that made you come all the way to Japan then? Is everything alright?” he asked, looking patient and concerned. 

"I'm sorry," Aria apologized with a smile, though the apology was very sincere. "My mother's friends needed a favor, so I had to come. At first, it was simply to help someone, but things have become a lot more urgent. The Cloud Guardian of the Tenth Generation Vongola Family has been kidnapped by a rival Family. In six days, the Tenth boss, the remainder of the Vongola Guardians, and the boss of the Cavallone Family are going to go retrieve him," she explained, leading Gamma towards the house. "I'm here with the Cavallone head, helping him train. But I need your help with something else." 

Gamma listened to this story with a quiet and thoughtful frown. This rival Family seemed intelligently dangerous, and that was the worst type of threat there could be in the Mafia world. Not to mention they had guts. To want to challenge the Vongola _and_ the Cavallone, as well to kidnap one of its people to use as leverage… Gamma didn’t like this. He didn’t like this at all. This was dangerous, and there was no reason for his boss to stay here amongst it all. But Gamma knew his boss wouldn’t listen to his protests, so he merely sighed tiredly and ran a hand through his hair instead. “What is it that you need, Boss?” he asked, looking clearly unhappy. 

Aria knew that Gamma was worried about her and she knew that he didn't want her anywhere near all of this. But Aria couldn't leave now. Dino needed her help. So she didn't mention that little detail. Instead, she continued. "The Storm Guardian of the Vongola found out last night that he has four different flames," she said. "But he only has access to his Storm Vongola Ring. They can't call into Italy for rings because they're worried that if they do, the other Family might take it as a call for backup." Aria looked at Gamma after she finished, wondering if he could tell what she was asking. Well, of course he would. 

Gamma’s eyes widened at these news. He had heard that some people could use more than one flame, but _four_? That was… incredible. Not to mention unheard of. Gamma suddenly felt very intrigued to meet this man who could produce four flames. Then, he remembered the problem at hand. “Hmm…” Gamma hummed in thought, wondering where he could get a hold of a few extra rings. “What flame-types do they need?” he asked. 

"According to Reborn, he needs a Lightning Ring, a Rain Ring, and a Sun Ring. He already has his Storm Vongola Ring," Aria answered with a business-like tone. "Can you see if you can do something? We might stand a better chance of getting rings than Reborn calling for rings himself. We don't want the enemy getting too suspicious." 

Gamma’s eyes widened at the mention of the Ninth’s most trusted hitman. He wondered faintly why all these incredible people were gathering around in Japan, but nodded at his boss’ request. “I’ll do my best, Boss,” he told her, and moved to take something out from inside his jacket. It was a Lightning Ring, one of his extras that he always carried around just in case. He handed it over to her. “This will have to do for now. I’ll make some calls and return with the rest by tonight,” he told her firmly, assuring her that he would get the task done.  

Aria took the ring and put it away in her pocket, smiling at her right-hand man’s words. "Thanks, Gamma. I knew I could count on you,” she said softly. “Ah, but before you go, would you like to join us for breakfast?" she asked, knowing that Gamma probably hadn’t eaten yet today. 

Gamma nodded after a second. He was aching to get started in his mission, but his desire to oversee his boss’ current accommodations encouraged him to stay. Not to mention, he _was_ kind of hungry. “I’m interested in meeting the Cavallone boss,” he noted conversationally as they made their way to the kitchen. 

"He's quite pleasant, although he received a message from the kidnapper this morning, so he might be a bit tense." Aria stopped Gamma before they entered. "The Cloud Guardian who was kidnapped is his lover," she explained softly, before entering the kitchen. 

"Dino." Aria shot the blonde a brief smile as she held out a hand in front of Gamma. "This is my right-hand man, Gamma. Gamma, this is Dino Cavallone." 

At Aria’s explanation Gamma frowned, not in shock, but in sympathy. These types of situations were very stressful after all. Gamma would hate to be in that kind of position himself… His eyes darted to his boss’ side in worry. The moment they entered the kitchen, however, Gamma did his best to keep these thoughts out of his face. 

Dino looked up at their arrival, a forkful of an omelet halfway up to his mouth. The fact that there was a stranger in his house—and how easy it was to call it his house now; Dino thought Kyouya would hit him for thinking so—made him tense. But at Aria’s explanation, he relaxed and put his fork down. He stood up to greet the other man, holding out a hand. “Nice to meet you.” Dino smiled, not as brightly as he usually did (though Gamma didn’t know that). 

Gamma nodded and shook the offered hand. “I apologize for intruding unannounced,” he told the other politely, his eyes carefully assessing the man before him. The Cavallone boss did indeed look drained, but there was a hard edge about him that warned Gamma this was not a man to mess with. He briefly pitied fools who had dared to do so. 

Aria smiled at the exchange before looking at Romario. "You don't mind one extra guest for breakfast, right? I should have told you beforehand. I'm sorry to make you work so hard," she said, sitting down and motioning for Gamma to sit next to her. 

“It’s not a problem, ma’am.” Romario smiled at her. He wasn’t all that surprised that the man had shown up to breakfast. Romario had had a feeling that the man would do so from the moment the rest of the men had informed Romario of the newcomer’s arrival. 

Aria smiled good-naturedly at Romario. The breakfast went by well, all things considered. Aria even told a few stories about Gamma that were perhaps a bit embarrassing for her blonde companion. She kept a close watch on Dino's mood as they spoke. She wanted to make sure he was comfortable when their training started. 

Gamma _was_ a bit embarrassed by some of the stories his boss told, but he knew she was only trying to relax the Cavallone boss (although he didn’t doubt that she felt like teasing Gamma as well). 

Dino indeed relaxed throughout breakfast, doing his best to keep his longing thoughts of Kyouya away, which lingered with every part of the house he saw. It was rather hard to relax at first, and Dino thought that perhaps he was torturing himself by staying here… but on the other hand, all of this served to further fuel him with determination. He vowed to do everything he could to save his lover. To beat the Vendetta. Dino was fired up by the time breakfast was finally over and Aria announced they were finally going to train. 

"Why don’t you go to the back porch, Dino? I'll meet you there soon," Aria said as she got up to her feet. "I'm just going to walk Gamma to the car." She wanted to do most of their training in the back. It was a very relaxing place, and control of the mind was going to be the main focus of their training. 

“Sure, take your time.” Dino nodded and headed for the porch. 

Aria smiled before tugging on Gamma's sleeve and leading him out. 

Gamma smiled warmly at his boss’ side. “You didn’t have to,” he murmured as they walked across the grounds and towards where his car was parked. 

"I want to," Aria reassured him. When they arrived at the car, she smiled slightly, giving Gamma another kiss on the cheek. "We'll be waiting for you to come back," she whispered into his ear before she headed back into the house. 

Gamma blushed slightly at the kiss, but he was more relaxed about it than earlier since there was no one watching this time. He blinked in confusion at her parting words, nothing they were a bit different than usual, but he shrugged and got into his car soon after. He had a task to do after all.  

Aria waved goodbye to Gamma before returning into the house. She made sure to hand off the Lightning Ring to Romario, and explained that Gamma would return with the other two rings that evening for Gokudera. With a smile and a thank-you, she left to the back porch to where Dino was waiting for her.


	18. Target 17: The Sky's Awakening

Tsuna opened his eyes and was immediately unsure if he even had. It was more than dark. It was the purest of black. Tsuna had never seen anything like it. He couldn’t even see his hand an inch away from his nose. He knew he couldn’t be in his room anymore, but where could he be? 

“Gokudera-kun?” Tsuna called out, but his voice seemed to be swallowed up by the darkness around him. It didn’t carry at all. Though Tsuna knew that he’d nearly yelled, his voice barely rose above a whisper by the time it reached his ears. The darkness was full and thick, all-encompassing. It pressed in on him like a heavy fog. But while it felt like it should have been hard to breathe, he had no trouble. The atmosphere was heavy, but he felt no danger. There was no sense of hostility or foreboding. He was just alone. 

Then, his chest began to warm. It was painfully familiar. Tsuna winced at the heat and gripped at his chest, over his heart. Was he having a heart attack? Pain suddenly shot through his body like a shockwave, rushing right down to the tips of his fingers. Tsuna gasped, but then, he felt the heat change. It seemed to leave his chest, and now his hands were nearly burning. Tsuna opened his eyes and found that he could see. 

There, in the palms of his hands, was a small orange flame. It flickered gently as if on an invisible wick and hovered over Tsuna’s skin. The heat lowered and it just became pleasantly warm. It was the same color as his Dying Will Flames, but it was less angry. It swayed softly and danced against Tsuna’s breath. Suddenly, the tiny flame flared a bit, as if alive, and a deep, familiar voice echoed from it. 

 _/ Ah, it’s you. /_  

“It’s you!” Tsuna started, recognizing the voice immediately for what it was. His Dying Will, the one that’s been fighting against him all this time. “Where am I?” 

 _/ You’re dreaming, /_ the voice replied easily. _/ We’re in your mind, of course. /_  

“My… mind?” Tsuna frowned. His eyebrows furrowed. “Then why can’t I see anything?” he asked. 

 _/ Just because it’s your mind doesn’t mean you know what’s in it. /_  

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Tsuna huffed. “What is it with everyone speaking riddles around me? Just give me a straight answer. Who are you? What are you doing in my head?” 

 _/ My name is Zero. I reside in your mind because I am a part of it. /_  

“A part of my mind?” Tsuna repeated, his expression of concentration remaining. 

 _/ Yes. I am, essentially, a part of you. /_  

“But… Wait, but if you’re a part of me,” Tsuna looked at the flame in his hands, gently flickering, “then why are you always fighting against me? Shouldn’t we be working together?” 

 _/ That, I believe, is a very good question. /_  

Tsuna gasped and opened his eyes. His bedroom was dark, dim rays of moonlight peeking through the curtains of his window. Tsuna sat up and looked around, catching a glimpse of a sleeping form on the other side of the room. Gokudera was still asleep. Tsuna lay down again and turned to his side, staring at the wall beside his bed. It was a dream. It was just a dream. But even as he thought this, Tsuna knew it was much more than that. _So… Your name is Zero…_  

 

* * *

 

Tsuna was slightly disappointed that, when the next morning arrived, Levi was already at the house, trying to talk to Lambo. He saw Reborn watching them with an unreadable look on his face, but he soon returned his thoughts to his current predicament. Xanxus. Tsuna had learned how to light up his ring, and Xanxus had told him to seek him out at the hotel when he had managed it. Tsuna knew he had to follow through with this, but he was terrified of meeting with the Varia boss again. Perhaps he could take Gokudera with him...? But no, Gokudera had his own training to worry about. This became more evident to Tsuna as he descended the stairs and spotted I-Pin happily greeting the Storm Arcobaleno at the door. “Good morning, Shishou!” the six-year-old girl chirped. 

“Good morning, I-Pin. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Fon smiled fondly at his student. 

I-Pin smiled and nodded. "Is Shishou going to eat breakfast with us?" she asked excitedly, though she did her best to stay respectful. 

Tsuna smiled a bit at the scene, but didn’t wait to hear the answer. He heard Gokudera's voice coming from the kitchen, so he figured he should tell him that Fon was there and went down the hallway to do so. Upon entering the kitchen, however, Tsuna was slightly surprised to see his right-hand man and his mother working on breakfast together. 

“Oh, Tsu-kun!” Nana smiled widely at her son. “You’re up! I was just about to send Gokudera-kun to get you.” 

At these words, Gokudera stopped what he was doing (currently setting up the table; one of the least hazardous tasks) and turned around to look at his boss. “Good morning, Tenth!” Gokudera beamed at him, a happy flush on his cheeks. He had gotten up rather early that morning and had picked up after himself quickly, changing back into his clothes from yesterday. He had been in the middle of putting the borrowed pajamas in the laundry room when Nana had caught him, looking slightly surprised that he had stayed over, but happy nonetheless. Since then, he had been helping her around the house as much as he could. Gokudera had always liked the Tenth’s Mother. 

"Yeah, good morning." Tsuna looked at his mother and Gokudera, before smiling slightly. It was really kind of soothing to see Gokudera, the Hurricane Bomb, getting along with his mother so well. Though, he was reminded of the reason he came to the kitchen in the first place. "Oh, that’s right. Gokudera-kun, Fon is at the door. I think he might have come to see you," he said, pointing a thumb back towards the front door. 

Gokudera looked startled at that announcement, and more than a little disappointed. “Oh.” He seemed to visibly droop, even more so when Fon came into the kitchen. 

“Good morning.” Fon greeted everyone with a slight bow. Gokudera scowled in his direction. 

“I apologize for interrupting your breakfast, but we need to get going.” Fon nodded in the direction of the Storm Guardian, who sighed but began saying his goodbyes to the Tenth and the Tenth’s Mother. 

“Oh? Another one of Reborn-chan’s friends?” Nana inquired with a smile as she quickly began to put together some of the food into a bento box. “It’s a shame you have to go already, but please take this with you, Gokudera-kun.” She pushed the food into his hands and gave him a gentle, kind smile. “Thank you for all your help this morning,” she told him, and very affectionately patted his hair. 

Gokudera couldn’t even begin to protest against the food, having been so bombarded with affection that it left him as a stuttering blushing mess. 

I-Pin looked particularly let down at this information, but she smiled nonetheless, and bowed to Fon. "Will I-Pin see Shishou later?" she asked softly, hopefully. Fon nodded in promise, smiling kindly in her direction. 

I-Pin practically glowed at this and couldn't help but jump a bit in excitement. "Okay! Have a good day!" she said happily, before going to go help Maman in exchange of Gokudera. 

Tsuna sighed slightly, but smiled a bit. "Good luck today, Gokudera-kun. Don't work too hard and take care of yourself," he told him. "It was fun having you over." 

Gokudera took a second to compose himself. He gave the Tenth’s Mother a timid smile and stammered out a thank-you, before turning his attention to the Tenth. Gokudera was happy to hear his boss’ concern, but at the same time, he grew worried when training was mentioned. “Thank you for having me over... But, Tenth, are you sure you’re going to be alright today?” he asked, glancing hesitantly in the direction of the Storm Arcobaleno. 

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Tsuna had a more determined look in his face. "I'll be able to use the flame now, so I'm sure everything will work out," he said with a reassuring smile. 

Gokudera relaxed slightly, the Tenth’s smile putting him at ease. “Call me if you need anything, Tenth,” he reminded him with a smile of his own, before he followed Fon out the door and towards the direction of his apartment. He had to leave out some food for Uri today after all, and change clothes. Not to mention stock up on dynamites, since he had used a couple the day before during his time with the knife-bastard. Perhaps he’d bring some of the more dangerous ones today, Gokudera mused with a jagged smirk on his lips as he fiddled with his lighter. 

After breakfast, Tsuna got ready in his room. He tested the Vongola Ring out once more, glad to see that it still lit up, before leaving the house. He said goodbye to his mother and the kids on the way out the door. 

Soon enough, he was at the hotel Reborn told him the Varia were staying at, and before he could change his mind, Tsuna moved up to Xanxus’ room and knocked. 

The person who answered the door was not Xanxus or any of the Varia members that Tsuna knew. It was a tall blonde teen that stood there, with a lollipop stick sticking out of his mouth. “Hm? Who are you?” the blonde asked, in a cool sort of voice that reminded Tsuna of Adult Lambo. 

“Um… I’m here to see Xanxus?” Tsuna said, looking slightly confused. 

“Hm.” The blonde turned to call into the hotel room. “Boss, there’s a little kid here to see you." 

Xanxus looked irritated at this announcement. He already knew that it was that fucking brat whom was standing on other side of the door. Xanxus wished the brainless scum had thought to come earlier when Xanxus was eating and could properly ignore him. 

Xanxus decided to ignore him anyway and merely grunted, continuing to lounge unmoving in his chair. 

Tsuna faltered slightly at Xanxus’ clear refusal to acknowledge him. 

“Don’t worry. Boss is like that to everyone,” the blonde explained with a slight shrug. 

Tsuna looked at the blonde before sighing. He would take Xanxus ignoring him over Xanxus trying to kill him, but... 

"Xanxus, I learned how to light the ring. Please fight me again," Tsuna said with a bit of determination in his tone. 

Xanxus snorted, although he didn’t look particularly amused, nor impressed for that matter. He merely narrowed his eyes as if this statement was expected, because if not, what the hell would the brat be doing in his hotel room? He threw a glowering glare in the direction of the brunette, as if warning him that he would not appreciate his time being wasted, before finally responding. 

“Spanner,” Xanxus snapped at the blonde. “Get your ass in gear and finish up those repairs today. If I have to hear those fucking scum whining one more time…” Xanxus let that sentence hang ominously as he scowled. Then, with slow, deliberate motions, he got out of his chair and stalked over to the brunette. “Let’s see if you’ve matured a bit since yesterday.” Xanxus smirked darkly and pushed the other roughly out of the room. 

"You got it, Boss," Spanner replied as he rolled the lollipop around in his mouth, not flinching at the other's threat. Instead, he just trudged on back to a small little machine that he was supposedly repairing. 

Tsuna watched Spanner go, before looking up and catching Xanxus' smirk. The brunette suddenly got nervous as he realized what a stupid idea it had been to meet Xanxus before practicing with the new flame on his ring. It was too late to back out now though. Tsuna let out a startled sound as Xanxus shoved him out of the room. He stumbled slightly, using the opposite wall in order to make sure he didn't fall. This wasn't the first time Tsuna mentally despaired at Reborn's choice for his tutor. 

Their destination ended up being a bit different this time. Xanxus took them to the Namimori Mountain; clearly, he was hoping to wreck some more havoc this time around. When they arrived, Xanxus gave no warning as he kicked the brunette hard, the motion causing the brat to fall a few feet ahead of him. Xanxus promptly took out his guns and began to shoot. 

Tsuna took much abuse from the Varia boss on the way to the mountain. But when Xanxus kicked him with such force, Tsuna fell to the floor. Before he could complain about this treatment though, he heard the sound of Xanxus cocking his gun—he had a split moment to react. Tsuna rolled to the side, watching as the flames slammed into ground where he had just been. But Tsuna didn't have time to be shocked. He quickly slipped on the gloves and swallowed his Dying Will pills. As his gloves lit up with the Dying Will Flame, so did his ring. Tsuna felt stronger than he had the previous day... 

Xanxus’ eyes glittered darkly with challenge. His smirk turned a little more bloodthirsty than before, excitedly so. “Now that’s more like it,” he said, and then in a flash, he fired a shot behind him and propelled himself forward, moving to land a strong kick to the other’s stomach.   

Tsuna had to hold back the chills that ran up his spin at the other's smirk. As Xanxus shot himself forward, Tsuna had more than enough time to dodge this kick. He used his flames to spin to the side, dodged Xanxus' kick, and aimed his elbow to the other's spine. 

Xanxus didn’t allow him the time to do such movement. The moment the brat had spun around, Xanxus increased the output of flames in his guns so he would land a bit farther. Immediately after, he shot twice again, to the ground this time, and then he was in the air. “You think you can defeat me, brat?” Xanxus taunted maliciously, waiting for the other to approach. 

Tsuna frowned as his elbow hit air. He hovered a few feet from the ground, staring up at Xanxus as he spoke. "Well, I already beat you once," he said without thinking. 

... 

Oh God, that was stupid. 

Xanxus’ eyes narrowed coldly. “Don’t get cocky with me, you worthless piece of shit,” the Varia boss growled, his guns slowly gathering up a powerful shot. “While you’ve been screwing around in this place, some of us have actually been training.” Xanxus’ lips took on a vicious smirk. “And you see where that’s gotten you, haven’t you?” he added cruelly, before launching himself once more to attack. 

Tsuna’s eyes widened at these words. Reborn was always telling him that a boss was responsible for his subordinates... No! Tsuna couldn't think about that right now! Xanxus was just trying to get into his head! Tsuna hurriedly dodged the incoming attack and launched himself at Xanxus' back instead, pulling back a fist, getting ready to punch when he got close enough. 

Xanxus was slightly amused at the fact that the brat hadn’t let his emotions get the best of him, and as a reward, he allowed him to get close enough before Xanxus swiftly reached for the other’s arm and twisted it tightly behind his back. He was keenly aware of the brat’s every movement. Xanxus had really powered up in the past five months. 

That was a fact that Tsuna saw quite easily. Xanxus was definitely stronger. The brunette winced, letting out a grunt of pain as his arm was twisted behind him and held by Xanxus’ firm grip. He arched his back slightly, trying to relieve the pounding pain that was spreading from his left shoulder. The strain was pulling at the tight, scarred skin from his bullet wound. It paralyzed him and made it difficult to breathe.  

Xanxus chuckled lowly in the brunette’s ear. “You’re not nearly amusing enough yet. You’re going to have to try harder, scum.” Xanxus let go of the other’s arm and kicked him forward again. He waited for the brat to make his move. 

"Augh!" Tsuna let out a cry at the kick to his back, but stopped himself quickly with his flames before he flew too far. He turned to Xanxus, not wanting to keep his back to him. After a moment of thinking, Tsuna revved his flames up to full speed and launched himself at Xanxus once again. This time, he was much faster as he aimed a punch to the other's chest. 

Xanxus brought up his arms to block the upcoming blow, didn’t let his face twitch at the pain, but scowled. A moment later, he was pushing the other away roughly, looking furiously angry. “What the hell did I just say, brat?” Xanxus hissed at him, and aimed a hard kick at the other’s stomach again. “When are you planning on using those flames?” he asked as his eyes narrowed with impatience. 

Tsuna was thrown back again by the kick. When he regained his balanced, he rubbed his stomach slightly and stared at Xanxus with a frown. "What are you talking about?" he asked, slightly confused. "I am using them!" he protested. 

Xanxus growled deep in his throat as he realized he was going to have to explain it. Why did he have to end up training the most dim-witted piece of scum in the world? “Your ring, you damn brat. What the hell is the use of lighting that up if you aren’t going to use its flames?” He scowled, irritated. While the other had indeed gotten a speed-boost (probably thanks to some ridiculous pep talk from his worthless friends), he was still not using his power to its full extent. 

Tsuna stared at Xanxus before looking at his ring. He thought that the speed-boost was because of the ring, but… "You mean… there’s more?" he asked, his forehead wrinkling slightly as his eyebrows furrowed. He tried to word it correctly, afraid Xanxus would just get frustrated and leave him like yesterday. He needed Xanxus to teach him, no matter how scary he was. 

Xanxus stared at the brunette with a baffled expression as he wondered how someone so brainless could exist on this planet. He contemplated his options. On one hand, he could explain what he meant once again and wait for the stupid idiot to finally understand what he was saying. On the other, Xanxus could just beat the other into understanding, and if he died along the way, then it was the brat’s own fault for being stupid _and_ weak. 

Xanxus then proceeded to kick the living shit out of the brat without further thought into the matter. 

Tsuna's eyes widened as Xanxus had caught him momentarily off-guard. He tried to dodge the other's attacks, but Xanxus quickly caught up to him and continued the beating. Oh god, it hurt. Everything _hurt!_ Tsuna curled up into a ball, trying to protect himself from the barrage of painful blows. He could already taste blood in his mouth. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Xanxus grew more and more irritated at the fact that the other wasn’t fighting back. It made his attacks increase in brutality, as if the pain would encourage the other to man up and fight back—or at least run away. Seriously, this was pathetic. Xanxus shot a disgusted glower in the direction of the brat, completely unimpressed and growing more irritated as he wondered how the hell he had lost to this scum before. 

“You think you can beat the Vendetta like this?!” Xanxus snapped again as he delivered another kick to the brunette’s bruising back. “That worthless subordinate of yours is better off dying at their hands at this point. What the hell can you do, cowering like this? Get up!” Xanxus emphasized this by dragging the other to his feet as he pulled him up by his hair. 

"He's not worthless!" Tsuna shouted before letting out a cry of pain as Xanxus pulled him up by his hair. He gripped at the other's wrist, tears blurring his vision as pain flooded his senses. He couldn't _think_. He could barely _breathe_. His body was shaking, and he could hardly control himself. _He’s going to kill me!_ Tsuna realized in horror.

_/ Didn’t you hear what he said?! Use your ring! /_

_But… I don’t know how!_

_/ … /_  

Suddenly, it was as if time stopped. The world around Tsuna darkened and his pain slowly numbed away. He couldn't hear anything save for the beating of his own heart and the soft sounds of his Dying Will Flame. Tsuna couldn’t see anything besides the faint glow of the flames on his forehead and in his hands. _Am I dreaming again?_  

Xanxus noticed that the brat’s body had gone suspiciously still. He continued yelling at him anyway, as if the action would wake the other from his stupor. When that got no reaction, Xanxus pistol-whipped him in the face, but the boy remained limp in his grip. With an irritated scowl, Xanxus dropped him to the ground and waited. The moment the other got up, Xanxus was going to beat the crap out of him again for daring to pass out. 

Meanwhile, deep inside the mindscape of the young Vongola heir, images began flashing through his head. Dead bodies lay piled up at his feet. Men. Women. Mothers. Children. Loud screams filled every corner of his mind. Buildings burned. The screams continued.  

As these visions filled his mind, the Dying Will Flame flickered out. Tsuna's eyes went wide as he was forced to watch all these horrible images that were being shoved into his head. There was nothing there to distract him. He was in total darkness. Tsuna covered his face, trying to regain control of his mind when he was suddenly aware of a soft, barely noticeable, blue glow. Tsuna wrenched off his gloves and watched as the Vongola ring shimmered with a blue light. It almost seemed as if it had a pulse. 

"What... What is this…!?" Tsuna shut his eyes tightly as if that would block out the images and screams that filled his mind. 

 _‘Please! Just spare my life! Please!’_ a sobbing voicecried out helplessly as loud gunshots were heard. 

 _‘No! Please!’_  

 _‘Wipe them out!’_ another voice yelled, sounding calculatingly cold. There was no remorse in its tone. 

“Leave them alone!” Tsuna shouted into the blackness before looking down at his ring. “Please, make it stop… I don’t want to see these things anymore…” 

“Don’t look away,” a deep voice called out amongst all the noise. It sounded very near Tsuna's ear. 

His breath hitched in his throat as he looked around, eyes wide as he spotted the silhouette of _someone_. “What’s... going on?” he managed to ask, trying to ignore the visions that were still flooding his brain. It was so hard to focus. 

“These are the sins of the Vongola,” another voice spoke up then as a silhouette flickered into existence. 

Slowly, more silhouettes appeared, making a total of nine. They stood around him, surrounding him. Looking down at him. The Dying Will Flames glowed ominously from their eyes. It was the only thing that defined their figures from the all-encompassing darkness. The screams and explosions continued to play in the background as these silhouettes began to speak. 

“Murder. Revenge. Betrayal. The endless pursuit of political power. This is the history of the Vongola Mafia.” 

“You who holds the Vongola’s Sky Ring—do you have the resolution?” 

Tsuna looked around at the nine people who surrounded him. "History of the Vongola...?" At these words, the visions seemed to increase in intensity as if baited by the name of the people who had damned them. Tsuna gripped his hair, tears falling down his cheeks as he heard the screams and the deaths of all those innocents. "S-stop it! _Stop it!!_ " he begged, shaking his head furiously. 

“Do not look away.” That same voice was scolding him again. It sounded somewhat feminine. “These are the sins carried by the Vongola. This is Vongola’s history. Do not avert your eyes from the truth. Accept the truth. Your resolution must be strong.” 

"N-no…!" Tsuna closed his eyes tightly, but when he did, the visions seemed so much more real. Families being shot. Men being killed. Women and children weren't even spared. The screams… Oh god, the _screams…_  

"No! I can't do horrible things like that!" Tsuna's body trembled and his voice broke. 

There was dissatisfied murmuring amongst the silhouettes. “If you do not pay the price, you will never be able to inherit our power!” a voice that sounded a lot like the Ninth’s spoke up then. However, it was nothing like the kind old voice that Tsuna knew. No, this was the voice of a Mafia Boss. 

“If you wish for great power, you must be prepared to succeed the great history,” another reminded him, softer, but nevertheless firm. 

 _‘Save me! This is too cruel! Give me back my family!’_ the voices continued to cry out in the background. 

Great History...? This was the Vongola's great history? Tsuna sobbed as more and more voices cried out for their life, their loved ones, their families, and their friends... 

Friends... 

Slowly, Tsuna began to remember them. His Guardians, his friends... Kyoko-chan, Haru, I-Pin... His mother... Gokudera-kun... The thoughts of his friends seemed to push the horrible visions away. It felt comforting to see their faces in his mind's eye. "No." Tsuna felt resolve like he had never felt before. "If it’s to protect everyone, I feel like I can do anything... But..." Tsuna gritted his teeth as he recalled the visions. "If it’s this sort of power, then I don't need it!" Tsuna looked up at the people around him, his voice rising to a yell. "If I were to succeed such a mistake, I… I will _destroy_ the Vongola!!" 

There was a startled silence amongst the silhouettes. Suddenly, the images stopped playing in the background and quieted down as well. The nine figures stared intently in the direction of Tsuna. 

When the visions stopped, Tsuna felt his strength almost being drained away. It was as if he had been carrying something so heavy that had finally been lifted off his shoulders, and now all he could do was fall to his knees and hold himself. What had he been saying...? Did he... fail? He looked up at the silhouettes once more, his eyes drawn to one familiar looking one in the back, before he fell forward weakly. Though... whereas he thought he would hit cold hard ground, Tsuna fell against someone's chest. Tsuna opened his eyes again, and they immediately widened. "N-Ninth?!" he whispered in shock. 

The Ninth smiled kindly at him as he helped Tsuna back up to his feet, before moving away. Suddenly, there was light. The pitch-black darkness faded as blue Sky took its place instead. The nine figures each became visible now, their Dying Will Flames fading from their eyes and instead focusing on their weapons. They stood in line, four on each side, making a path for Tsuna to walk through. The flames seemed to give off huge amounts of light. There was no more darkness; instead, everything was a light blue that reminded Tsuna of the sky. At the end of the path made by the eight people, a tall imposing blonde man stood, a long black cape billowing from his shoulders. Flames enveloped painfully familiar gloves. 

“Your resolution… I have accepted it,” Vongola Primo spoke then, looking down at his successor with a satisfied look in his eyes. 

Tsuna looked around at each person who was there. Were they... the previous bosses of the Vongola Family? Somehow, in the back of his mind, Tsuna knew this to be true. But the one who demanded the most attention was the man directly opposite from Tsuna himself. He eyed the gloves in slight shock before speaking. "My... resolution...?" he whispered, still not quite sure as to what was going on. 

“I have been waiting for you for a long time, Vongola Decimo. The Power to protect your friends… I will grant this to you.” Primo looked pleased as he said this, and his gloves burned brightly with his Flame. The rest of his successors’ weapons all flared up as well, and then the Vongola crest began glowing underneath Tsuna. 

“You will inherit the proof of the Vongola here.” 

Was this a dream? Was this an illusion? He had said such things to them and yet... Tsuna looked down in shock as the Vongola crest lit up so brightly. He felt power. Pure, raw power rushing into him. It pressed into him and shot to his hands, making his fingertips tingle with heat. When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the dream. The only person he saw was Xanxus. The Dying Will Flame was burning brighter and stronger than ever. Tsuna stood with strength he shouldn't have had, and his gloves, which had changed in appearance, suddenly burst into flames. Flames that were darker and had significantly more power. 

Off in the distance, Leon transformed back to normal from the binocular form he had been in. Reborn smirked, knowing now that he could leave Tsuna in Xanxus' hands. 

Xanxus had waited a maximum of five minutes before his patience quickly died off. But just as he began to turn around to head back to his hotel, a bright light engulfed the clearing, making Xanxus turn back to where he had left the brat. 

Xanxus had to admit that the brat was finally getting a little bit interesting. Despite the blood and forming bruises littering the other’s body, the brat’s eyes were burning with a new type of determination, and his gloves, looking somewhat different than before, finally burned with the Flames Xanxus had demanded the brat should use. 

Hmm. If anyone complained about his teaching methods, Xanxus would have to shoot them for being idiots, because clearly they worked. Then, he would shoot them again for complaining. 

“It’s about time, brat.” Xanxus’ eyes simmered in excitement. “I hope you had a nice beauty nap, because this time, I’ll kill you for real.” He smirked dangerously. 

“You can try," Tsuna said lowly. This power... So huge... Control. He needed to control it... Using his new flames, he shot himself towards Xanxus—but it was too fast. He had to struggle to keep himself on course, and even then, he crashed into the floor past Xanxus. Tsuna stood up and tried again, but this time, he practically launched himself off the mountain before stopping just in time. 

Dammit... This power meant nothing if he couldn't use it right... 

Had Xanxus been a lesser man, he would have face palmed in irritation. As it was, he merely watched the other continue to make a fool out of himself with a searing feeling of irritation. 

“Oi, oi, you’re kidding, right?” Xanxus should have known that the brat would end up messing up even the simplest things. “...Tch.” The Varia boss’ battle itch came crashing down as soon as the brat hit the ground again. 

“Fucking trash,” he muttered as he slowly made his way across to where the brunette had landed this time. Before the other could get up, Xanxus pushed him back down to the ground with his foot. He pressed the sole of his boot against the other’s throat tightly, until he was sure the other would have a difficult time breathing. The brat’s head was hanging off the precipice of the mountain, and Xanxus thought this made a rather nice image. “You’re wasting my time, scum,” he warned lowly, increasing the pressure on the other’s throat. “You better get these flames working tomorrow… Otherwise, don’t bother getting out of bed because I’ll be sending you to a permanent sleep,” he promised, before finally letting off the pressure on the other’s throat. He proceeded to kick him off the cliff before making his way back to his hotel room. 

Tsuna's mouth gaped open slightly as Xanxus' shoe pressed down on his throat. As he tried to breathe, he realized he was half hanging off the mountain, the vertigo making him dizzy. He listened to Xanxus' words, letting out a pained gasp when the pressure increased. Then, he was suddenly kicked off. Tsuna let out a shocked yell and momentarily forgot he could fly. He grabbed the cliff for dear life until he stopped falling and panted heavily. Xanxus was definitely going to kill him one day... Regardless, he spoke the truth. Tsuna had to get these flames under control. 

After flying back up to the clearing and catching his breath, Tsuna trained for another couple of hours. He tried to control these hard flames, but no matter how much he tried, they were just too powerful. Every time he activated them, he’d shoot off uncontrollably. This was more than a speed boost. It was just too much. 

_/ You can't use them for flying. /_

The voice slightly startled Tsuna out of his frustrated thoughts, but it sounded like Zero was giving him a hint... Tsuna stared at the flames he recently received before lighting his other hand with his normal flames. His normal flames were stable, easy to use, but these new flames were hard and powerful. Zero was right. He couldn't use them for flying. There was no way to control them. So... what could he use them for...? Tsuna sat down but winced as he aggravated a bruise made by Xanxus' flames.  
  
Xanxus used his flames to attack... Could it be...?! 

Tsuna stood up again, the adrenaline of this new revelation driving him. Slowly and experimentally, Tsuna held out his hands and willed the hard flames to light up his gloves. Then, he shot them forward. As the beam of hard flames got shot, Tsuna was propelled backwards. Once again, the brunette found himself clinging to the edge of the cliff. He needed something to hold him in place. Something stable. 

The soft flames were stable. Maybe he could... Tsuna tried again and reached one hand in front and the other in back. The hand in the back created a wall of stable flames, slowly pulsating behind him. Tsuna felt much more supported. He tried again. This time, as he shot the hard flames in front of him, it felt significantly better. But after a few seconds, his arms wavered and his left shoulder began to flare up with pain. He had to stop. Tsuna fell to his knees and panted, gripping his injured shoulder as the pain pulsed through his arm and chest.

_/ You did well. No use overworking yourself. Go back home and rest for tomorrow. /_

Tsuna frowned, but nodded. Zero made sense. Tsuna waited until his shoulder relaxed before flying down the mountain. Once he landed on the outskirts of Namimori, he let his Dying Will Flame die out, before limping down the street and heading home. Dirty, bleeding, and injured, Tsuna made quite the sight. He attracted a lot of stares. But Tsuna couldn’t bring himself to care. Once he finally got home, Tsuna headed straight up to his room and collapsed on to his bed, passing out immediately. 

He woke up about an hour later with a pounding headache, and it took a few minutes for the room to stop spinning. Tsuna groaned quietly as lay motionlessly on his bed. His turned his head slightly, finding the position he was in uncomfortable, and that’s when he spotted the medical supplies on his nightstand. Next to them was a small folded up doctor's coat with a tiny stethoscope that had to belong to Reborn. Tsuna smiled slightly at the sight before he allowed himself to sleep once again.

 


	19. Target 18: The Brewing Storm

 

That same morning, in the Namimori Forest: 

“ _VOOOOOIIIIII!!!!_ What the hell do you think you’re doing, you damn brat?!” Squalo scowled angrily in the direction of his student. They had been in the middle of a swordfight, but for some reason, Yamamoto had actually gotten distracted, which caused the Rain Flames that had been coating his sword to disappear. Squalo currently held his own Rain-coated sword-arm threateningly close to the brat’s neck. His eyes flashed furiously. 

Yamamoto blinked as he reminded himself of where he was. The sword at his throat helped. "Sorry, sorry!" Yamamoto said with a smile and a laugh. "Hey, Squalo, can we take a quick break? My Pops let me bring along some sushi from the restaurant this time. We can eat lunch together!" 

Squalo hissed in fury at the request. “You can have a break after I’m done with you, brat! What the fuck have you been doing these last five months?! Your swordsmanship’s a fucking joke!” The silver-haired swordsman scowled and jabbed the other with his sword to get a move on, although not hard enough to cut. 

Yamamoto took a step back, laughing slightly at Squalo’s anger. "Well, we recently had the championships with baseball, so...” He didn’t elaborate. He was sure Squalo could understand from that. Besides, with everything that had been going on with Tsuna and Gokudera, he hadn't had the heart or the will to train as much as he used to. 

Oh, Squalo understood alright. He understood that this kid was deliberately trying to _piss him off_ _!_ “You…!” Squalo growled out furiously, his body trembling with anger. One could practically hear a blood vessel pop at his fury. Squalo lunged at the baseball brat, striking at the other hard and fast. “You’re a disgrace as a swordsman, kid! What the hell do you think this is?” Squalo was disappointed. This kid had potential, but he wasted it away like it was nothing. 

Yamamoto gasped, hurriedly lifting his sword to block Squalo's strikes. He managed to block all of Squalo's attacks, though it was definitely hard. Then, at Squalo's words, Yamamoto's expression dropped to a slightly pained expression. He briefly recalled Gokudera's words that day in the hospital. Everyone was telling him to take these things seriously. Yamamoto jumped back from the frenzied swordsman and sighed slightly, looking down. "Sorry." 

“Tch.” Squalo scowled at the other’s unnerving drop of mood. He didn’t have the patience to deal with this. Perhaps a break would be good for the kid after all. “Listen up, brat!” Squalo nudged the other to go get the food as he plopped on the ground. “I don’t care what the fuck is going on in that stupid little brain of yours, but when we’re training you better get one thing straight. This is not a game. The moment you picked up that sword was the moment where you should have realized that.” 

Yamamoto listened to Squalo before following the other's nudge and retrieving the lunch his old man had packed them. He sat down in front of Squalo and put the Shigure Kintoki, which had reverted back to a bamboo practice sword, on the ground next to him. "Yeah. I know it’s not a game," he said, before he took a deep breath. "I just have a lot of things that I'm thinking about... Besides baseball, I mean.” 

Squalo couldn’t help but to bite onto that particular bait. After all, he was surprised the brat actually had any other interests aside from his beloved baseball. “What the hell is so damn important that’s making you so distracted, then?” he asked, scowling as he reached for some of the sushi the other had brought. It was surprisingly delicious…really delicious; but Squalo wasn’t going to tell the other that. 

At this question, Yamamoto took another deep breath, but this time, it was for something other than relaxation. Squalo didn't realize it, but he had activated a part of Yamamoto not many saw. The I'm-very-stressed-out-and-now-I'm-going-to-tell-you-everything-in-one-fell-swoop Yamamoto. He told Squalo everything. He told Squalo about the assassination attempt on Tsuna, and about how guilty he felt about keeping such important secrets from his father. He told Squalo about what Gokudera had told him in the hospital, and then how worried he was now for Hibari and everyone else. "And Gokudera, I..." Yamamoto had been about to tell Squalo about the things that were more personal, but... he thought better about it and stopped talking, just staring down into the grass. 

“Tch.” Squalo, to his credit, listened. He was highly irritated at the fact that the other had the gall to vent at him, of all people; but if this would help the brat straighten up and focus on embracing the path of the sword, then so be it, Squalo would damn well listen. As Squalo should have expected, the other’s worries were of minimal concern anyway. Squalo thought his boss would be disappointed to hear that the Sawada brat had failed to die once again. Once the sword-brat begun prattling about the bomb-brat however, Squalo had enough. He could see where this was going. It was sickeningly obvious by the brat’s lovesick tone of voice. Fucking teenagers. 

“I’m only going to say this once, trash, so pay close attention! Everything you’ve said up until now… is completely fucking meaningless.” Squalo shot Yamamoto a dark, heated glare. “There are only two paths in life—those of the strong and those of the weak. There is no in-between, which means that all these shitty worries of yours will either weight you down until you become one with the rest of the trash that reside in this world… or you can let them go and rise up to your full potential.” Squalo scowled pointedly. “And for your sake, you better already know what path you’re following! I’m not giving you any choice on this matter!” he growled. 

Yamamoto looked at Squalo when he began to speak. He listened to the harsh words, but ended up finding some reason in them. "Yeah… You’re right, Squalo. I need to stop worrying about things that already passed and just look forward to all the good times and baseball games to come!" He stood up, grabbing his sword again. "Squalo, let's keep going!" he said excitedly. Of course, Yamamoto had completely misunderstood Squalo's words and changed them into his own. But it seemed to have the desired effect as the Shigure Kintoki changed to its katana form and his Rain Flames returned to coat the blade. 

Squalo twitched at the return of the other’s blindingly sickening enthusiasm. It figured that the brat would get some sort of sappy kick at his words, even if Squalo hadn’t meant them that way. Whatever. At least the brat seemed ready to fight again. Squalo would kill the other if he made any more mistakes. “You better not regret those words later, brat!” He grinned sharply and lunged at him once more. 

Yamamoto lifted his sword to block Squalo’s attack, his and the other sword making an X. Yamamoto smiled through the gap on the top. “Hey, Squalo. Thanks,” he said happily. “You’re a really good friend.” He flashed the other a grin before continuing the fight. 

Squalo nearly cut off the brat’s head off at that.

 

* * *

 

Gokudera’s day went by like this: 

After leaving his own apartment, he had headed to the training grounds with Fon. They met Bel, whom then proceeded to be an unhelpful bastard by constantly throwing knives at him. Gokudera highly doubted there was a point to this exercise, but apparently Fon thought otherwise. Gokudera could very well tell Fon where he could shove that particular point—right along with the other bastard’s knives. 

Gokudera’s training continued well into the afternoon until the Storm Arcobaleno announced he had somewhere else to be—after that, Gokudera had no reason to stay around. And anyway, he already got what to do with his Storm Flames, kind of. It was his other Flames that concerned him. He hoped Reborn-san would manage to acquire the extra rings soon. 

With nothing else to do now, Gokudera walked the familiar way back to the Tenth’s house in hopes that a) he would find good news about said rings, and that b) the Tenth was back home safe and sound. Not to mention, he wanted to thank the Tenth’s Mother once again for packing him such a delicious breakfast this morning. 

Upon arrival, he promptly put out his cigarette and knocked on the Tenth’s front door, hoping that someone was home. 

Reborn answered the door and looked pleased at Gokudera's presence. "Good, you're here. I was waiting for you. I have to go check up on Ryohei. Watch over Tsuna while I'm gone," he said, walking out past Gokudera. "He's in his room. Ciao ciao." 

Gokudera nodded at the Arcobaleno’s words and promptly entered the house, leaving his shoes at the entrance before heading up the stairs. It seemed like there was no one else in the house. Gokudera faintly wondered where his sister had been these past few days. 

“Tenth?” Gokudera called out as he knocked, his voice raised just enough to be heard through the door. 

Tsuna started at Gokudera's voice before sighing. _I should have known Gokudera-kun would come to see me..._ Tsuna felt a bit relieved to see Gokudera when he was like this. "Come in," he called back, noticing his voice was a bit ragged. 

Gokudera took immediate note of it as well, which made him open the door a little bit more hurriedly than usual. The sight that greeted him floored him as his brain briefly struggled to decide whether to feel rage or concern over his boss’ extensively battered body. Concern naturally took over. 

“Tenth!” 

Gokudera rushed over to his boss’ side, eyes wide and worried. “Are you okay? Do you need me to do anything? What hurts?” he asked rapidly, his hands hovering restlessly over the other’s bandaged body. His face looked clearly unhappy, and while it looked mostly worried, there was a cold furious anger lingering behind his pale green eyes. 

"G-Gokudera-kun." Tsuna tried to give the other a reassuring smile, though he was sure that the bomb-user was much too panicked for it. "It’s... It’s okay. It doesn't hurt as much as it was this morning," he said, moving to sit up, but he hissed slightly in pain when he moved. Thing was, he wasn't lying about what he said to Gokudera. It had been much worse earlier. 

These words did nothing to calm Gokudera whatsoever for he could hear the naked truth in them. His eyes narrowed in unrestrained fury, even more so as he noticed the Tenth’s pained hiss. “I am going to kill that bastard…!” he muttered mutinously. How the hell was this called training? Even if Gokudera’s own body was littered with knife wounds thanks to his own tutor, it was nothing compared to what he saw in front of him: his boss’ skin showed forming bruises all over his body. There was a particularly telltale one forming at center of his neck, and Gokudera could practically picture Xanxus pressing tightly against the Tenth’s throat then; his boss’ short pained gasps that longed for air. 

"Gokudera-kun—don't! It’s okay!" Tsuna managed to sit up as he tried to calm the other down. "I... I learned something today. Something big." Slowly, Tsuna told Gokudera about Xanxus' training session. He told him about the vision supplied by the Vongola Ring and the hard flames he now had along with the new and improved gloves. 

"I'm still trying to learn about how to use them, but I think I've almost got it." Tsuna looked down at his open palms thoughtfully, a small sense of determination behind his brown eyes. 

Gokudera visibly deflated. “But...” he protested, unhappy with the fact that his boss was letting this go. How could Gokudera approve of his boss being beaten within an inch of his life? Seeing the Tenth like this pained him. He couldn’t let this continue. “You don’t need that guy, Tenth!” he decided. “You know that bastard’s out to deliberately hurt you, just because he’s a sore loser! I can help you train if you need to!” 

Tsuna smiled a little bit at his right hand man’s enthusiasm that was so Gokudera he half expected it. However, he was shocked when Gokudera himself offered to train him. Tsuna thought about it, but he knew immediately that it wouldn’t work. “It… has to be Xanxus, Gokudera-kun. I’ve learned so much with him, and even though he hurts me and he’s very scary and might end up killing me,” Tsuna gulped, “it’s the only way.” 

Gokudera’s lips pressed together as his fists clenched at his sides. His heart ached in frustration. _No…_ “There has to be some other way!” he insisted. “Tenth, I can’t…” Gokudera’s eyes roved over the other’s injuries again, taking in each bruise. He felt a surge of anger and protectiveness swell in his gut. “I promised to protect you…” he whispered roughly as he stared down at his boss. 

Tsuna looked at Gokudera and their eyes met. It was intense and there were emotions there that Tsuna wasn’t used to but that had become so familiar to him. “It’s… I’ll be fine. I’m sure.” He swallowed and looked down a couple times but his gaze was always drawn back to those green eyes. 

The reassurance didn’t spark that great of a response in the silver-haired teen. Gokudera was much too worried; much too scared. “Tenth…” Gokudera couldn’t stop staring at the other. The brunette just didn’t understand what the sight of him was doing to Gokudera. Looking at his boss like this was too much. Even if a part of him understood that Reborn-san wouldn’t let Xanxus kill Tsuna, Gokudera still couldn’t bear to see his boss injured in this manner. He wished he could do something. Anything. Gokudera closed his eyes and struggled to voice his feelings. And when he opened them again and his eyes finally met the brunette’s own, Gokudera’s heart ached all the worse. “Tenth, please…” He wasn’t sure what he was asking for. 

Each word that his right-hand man uttered pulled at something in his chest and his heart seemed to pound harder against his bruised ribs. Tsuna opened his mouth but there were no words. He shut his lips tightly again and looked at him, almost helplessly. Tsuna could feel the pleading in his tone and he was being drawn closer like a magnet. He didn’t know what he was doing. He didn’t know what to say. He just didn’t know. 

Gokudera’s breath caught in his throat as he felt that pull too. The room was completely bereft of noise and Gokudera felt as if it was spinning beneath his feet as he stared down at his boss. Gokudera’s heart thudded against his chest and he had to close his eyes again and swallow for a moment in an attempt to compose himself. But when he opened them again, the distance between them had become so much closer and Gokudera felt himself freeze. A rush of panic, fear, and longing engulfed him. He couldn’t move. 

Tsuna couldn’t stop staring. He couldn’t stop moving closer. He couldn’t stop thinking about Gokudera and how close he was. Oh god, he was too close. The panic seized him and Tsuna turned away, his eyes wide as he stared at the blankets bunched in his lap. “Don’t worry, Gokudera-kun. I’ll be fine.” His voice shook slightly as he spoke. 

Gokudera felt a sharp jolt course through him the moment the brunette’s gaze broke away from his own. He blinked, and suddenly felt a rush of air escape his lungs. His mind blanked for a short moment, but he was hit by a wave of realization then, which was soon followed by that familiar sense of self-loathing. He’d done it again. He had caused that devastating expression to cross his boss’ face again. Gokudera took a step back and forced himself to focus on the matter at hand. 

“I-if you say so, boss,” he muttered, a little rougher than usual; he emphasized that last word a little too strongly this time around, as if he had to remind himself of that particular fact. Gokudera avoided looking at the brunette. How could he have done this again? Just when they were beginning to get over this, Gokudera had to ruin it again. He needed to leave. He opened his mouth to excuse himself then, unable to bear this any longer. 

That’s when the Tenth’s Mother arrived. 

“Tsu-kun, I’m home!” Nana’s voice called out loudly into the house as the front door opened. Children’s voices soon followed after hers. 

“Pyahaha!” Lambo burst into Tsuna’s room and stood triumphantly at the threshold, brandishing a bag of purple candies. “I’ve got grape candies! And no one else can have any!” 

“Lambo!” I-Pin came up the stairs and hurried over to him. “You have to share!” 

“No! No sharing!” Lambo quickly stuffed the bag into his hair and ran over to the bed, bouncing up onto the mattress. “Hey, Tsuna! Play with me!” 

Tsuna was overwhelmed by the sudden volume and couldn’t respond for a couple seconds before he looked quickly at Gokudera. He knew that look. He knew that look very well. “Um! Gokudera-kun will play with you, Lambo! I can’t right now.” Tsuna looked over at Gokudera with a slightly pleading smile. 

Gokudera felt equally out of sorts by the kids’ sudden intrusion. He felt momentarily torn by the request, but as much as he wanted to put some distance between them, he could never deny the Tenth. He was opening his mouth to assure the other he would do it when he was interrupted once more. 

“No way! I don’t want to play with Stupidera!” Lambo stuck his tongue out at the silver-haired teen. 

Gokudera’s eyes narrowed. 

“Tsuna-nii!” Fuuta burst in then. “Maman wanted—oh! Tsuna-nii! Are you alright?” Fuuta looked at the injured brunette with wide, worried eyes. 

Tsuna lifted his hands and smiled at Fuuta. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine. I just need some rest. Don’t worry too much.” 

Fuuta frowned in worry. 

Meanwhile, Gokudera and Lambo had quickly progressed to their usual routine. 

“Why you little—!” Gokudera swiped at the five-year-old brat, who dodged and stuck out his tongue before jumping over I-Pin. 

“Hey!” I-Pin cried out before joining in the chase. When Fuuta saw this, he immediately piped in to stop them. 

“Guys!” Fuuta’s voice rose loud enough to pause the commotion. The ten-year-old crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the three with disapproval. “Didn’t you hear Tsuna-nii? He needs to rest! Go play downstairs!” 

I-Pin’s eyes widened in realization and she looked down at her feet for a moment. “I-Pin sorry,” she murmured. 

Lambo flushed in slight shame but he didn’t let it dampen his spirits. “Whatever!” he shouted boisterously. “I didn’t want to play with Tsuna anyway!” 

Gokudera looked pretty embarrassed at his reaction as well. He glanced at his boss out of the corner of his eyes and murmured an apology of his own. 

Fuuta looked pleased at these responses and nodded. He turned to address his big brother again. “I’ll take the kids downstairs with me, so you rest up, Tsuna-nii. And I’ll tell Maman you’re resting, okay?” 

Tsuna smiled. Fuuta was a good kid. “Thanks.” He relaxed slightly before looking over at Gokudera again out of the corner of his eye. Luckily, he didn’t need to say much as Lambo rushed over to him. 

“Come on, Stupidera!” He grabbed Gokudera’s pants leg and tugged. “Let’s go play! Right now! I’m bored! Play with me!” 

Gokudera scowled and was about to staunchly refuse when he remembered his boss’ previous request. A glance at Tsuna’s tired expression sealed the deal. “Yeah, alright, alright,” he grumbled before shooing the five-year-old out the door. 

As Fuuta led the kids downstairs, Gokudera shot once last glance at his boss. It took some effort before he was able to address the other. “Um, rest well, Tenth,” he murmured timidly. “I’ll be downstairs if you need anything…” 

Tsuna felt relieved when Gokudera agreed with the young Bovino. Lambo ran at top speed out the door, laughing obnoxiously as usual as I-Pin chased after him, shouting cautionary warnings. Tsuna looked at Gokudera and felt a twinge of guilt, but knew that this had been the right thing. He couldn’t let Gokudera run away just yet, right? “Okay. I’ll call you,” he said, looking between him and his lap. The twinge of guilt turned to a fist twisting his stomach, but he held a small, reassuring smile in the direction of his right-hand man, hoping that it would be enough. 

It was. 

Seeing that smile made Gokudera feel a small bout of relief. Though that painful ache in his chest had yet to ease, he felt less guilty now that his boss’ expression was free of turmoil. As his need to run away from the Tenth’s house finally faded away, Gokudera managed to shoot the brunette a small smile. Moments later, he closed the door behind him and began to make his way downstairs.

 

* * *

 

Dino's problem was mental. Aria realized that when she met the Cavallone head. So the bulk of their training was spent with simple relaxation and focus exercises. But Aria taught him more than just focusing, aiming, and thinking. She was doing something much more important. "Dino," she called softly, sitting nearby the pond next to the blonde. "You care for your subordinates very much, don't you?" she asked. 

Dino nodded without any hint of hesitation. It was, after all, the truth. “They’ve been at my side for longer than I can remember,” Dino confessed with a slight smile at his lips. “Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to become the person I am today,” he told her. 

A small smile crossed Aria’s lips. "That's a wonderful way to think. Unfortunately, many Mafia bosses today forget who stand behind them." She looked out at the garden with a somber look on her face. "I fight for my family as well," she said, a hand resting on her stomach. Aria returned her gaze to Dino. "But you must learn to fight for them even when they aren't at your side." 

Dino’s slight embarrassment at Aria’s compliment turned to shock as his eyes noticed her hand linger on her stomach in a painfully familiar way. Kyouya had done the same action so many times in the past few weeks. The shock broke his focus from her words as his gaze snapped up to meet her eyes, his face showing his question as his lips parted with surprise. “Aria… You…” 

Aria looked at him and noticed the other's shocked expression. Dino was definitely a good observer. Much better than Gamma, that was for sure. She smiled a bit brighter at the thought of her right-hand man before she spoke once more. "Dino, focus," she chided with a bright, kind smile. 

Dino continued to stare at her wonderingly for a moment. Perhaps _this_ was why it felt so familiar to be around her... At her gentle reminder though, Dino remembered the matter at hand. He gave her a sheepish smile although it was still mixed with a sense of fascination at his discovery, before turning to focus once more. 

Aria laughed slightly. "My point is that from now on, we're not going to be training here anymore," she told him. "You and I are going to train at the school starting tomorrow and your men are not allowed on to the campus during the training sessions. You're going to learn how to fight for your men even when they aren't at your side." 

“Err…” Dino looked a bit uneasy at that announcement, although he should have seen it coming. The thing was, it had actually taken him a while to notice that particular flaw within himself. In fact, it had been Kyouya himself that had pointed it out during one of their training sessions—in a rather vicious manner, Dino recalled fondly—and ever since then, Dino had always been secretly afraid of when this flaw would get him killed. So, of course, he wanted to overcome it. However, the blonde thought that Aria’s training method was a little extreme… Knowing his clumsiness, Dino would probably destroy the school in less than a minute and perhaps even kill himself in the process (and if he didn’t, Dino was sure Kyouya would finish the job in his stead). So it was because of this than Dino shifted uneasily when he answered. 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he asked. “Shouldn’t we at least have one or two nearby?” If not, Dino was going to suggest they train somewhere else. He valued his body parts thank-you-very-much. He didn’t want to rescue his lover and then get subsequently dismembered. 

Aria looked amused at his uneasiness. ""Everything will be fine, Dino. I want to do it at a familiar place for you, therefore the school. We'll work on the roof. Why don't you talk to Romario about it?" 

Dino hesitated for a moment. Aria smiled knowingly. 

"I'm sure you think that doing this isn't fair, but you have to trust me, Dino. I know what I’m doing." Aria stood up. "For now, let's go inside. I'm sure Romario has finished with dinner." That, and Gamma should be arriving soon. 

Dino still looked unsure, but he understood her motivations, so he nodded and just hoped he didn’t end up causing too much damage to the school. 

They headed into the house after that. Romario was curiously absent from the kitchen, although he had left warm food out on top of the table. Enzo was currently chewing on a half-eaten lettuce leaf and was eyeing Dino’s plate thoughtfully. Dino smiled fondly at his pet, but suddenly, he wondered where his lover’s cute bird had run off. He hadn’t seen Hibird since the day Kyouya had been kidnapped. 

The realization made Dino fret worriedly. Perhaps the bird had noticed his master’s absence and was off looking for him? Dino hoped Hibird was alright. 

“Ma’am, your guest has arrived.” Romario’s voice abruptly interrupted Dino’s qualms. The blonde startled and turned to look behind him. 

Gamma had indeed returned. There was an assured tilt on his lips that hinted of the success of his mission. “Boss.” He inclined his head in her direction. “I’ve acquired the rest of the rings,” he announced. 

At Romario's words, Aria smiled. She stood up and walked over to her right-hand man, her eyes dancing at the good news. "That's great! You got them quickly. I'm so proud, Gamma," she said gratefully. "Would you like to deliver them or should I get someone else to take them?" 

Gamma smiled at his boss’ enthusiasm. He was glad he had been able to fulfill his mission. He was sure he hadn’t drawn any attention to himself to boot. At her question, Gamma couldn’t help ask for permission to deliver the rings himself. He was, after all, curious to meet the man who required all these rings. “If it’s not any trouble, boss, I would like to deliver them myself.” 

Aria smiled as if she had already known Gamma's decision. "Of course it’s no trouble." Then, she remembered. "Oh, Gamma. Tomorrow, Dino and I are going to train at a middle school. Would you mind coming along? Dino’s men aren't going to be allowed to come." 

At these words, Romario instantly shot his boss a disapproving frown, which he quickly redirected towards the Sky Arcobaleno. “Ma’am, I’m afraid I simply can’t condone this. As much trust as we have for Reborn and his recommendation in tutors, we can’t simply allow our boss to go out unprotected during these times,” he told her firmly. 

“Oi, oi, who said anything about not being protected?” Gamma protested immediately, although he himself was uneasy at being the only one there to protect not only his boss, but the boss of another Family as well. “There’s no way I’ll be leaving my boss alone. Aria, I’ll be there.” Gamma directed the last part to the boss in question. 

Dino let out a loud sigh, interrupting any further argument. “Calm down, Romario. I’m sure everything will be alright tomorrow. And I need to do this,” Dino reminded his right-hand man, who was all too aware of that truth. 

Aria looked at Romario with infinite patience. "I'm sorry, Romario, but I'm afraid it’s needed for Dino’s training. We can talk more about it later if you’d like, but I am aware of the danger. The reason I asked for Gamma to accompany us is so we wouldn't be alone," she explained. She then turned to Gamma and smiled. "Drive us to the school tomorrow morning, Gamma. If you don't mind." 

“Of course, boss.” Gamma inclined his head in her direction. 

“I have a feeling I’ll have a hard time changing your minds,” Romario said dryly, with a weary look on his face. It was obvious he still didn’t approve of this, but with his hands tied, there was not much he could do. He’d just have to hope and pray everything turned out alright. And perhaps keep some men on standby somewhat nearby the school tomorrow. He sighed. 

“Well, let’s put this topic to rest for now and begin eating before the food gets cold. I’m afraid Enzo’s already eaten a small share of your dinner, boss. Just give me a moment and I’ll ready another plate.” Romario smiled tiredly before moving to do so. 

Dino shot his right-hand man an apologetic but grateful smile before moving to take a seat. He picked up Enzo off the table and put him on his shoulder, where the turtle decided to drowsily rest for the remainder of the evening. 

It was later, after dinner, that Romario's fears were eased. Aria pulled him aside as everyone headed off their respective ways. Once she was sure Dino couldn't hear them, Aria disclosed the rest of her plan. "I want your men around," she explained to Romario. "But I don't want Dino seeing anyone. He has to think that only Gamma and I are nearby." 

Romario’s eyes widened in comprehension and he nodded in approval. “I’ll be sure to inform them. They are used to keeping out of sight at the school anyway.” It pleased Romario that Aria had made this request. He had already planned on sending his men anyway, but his respect for the other boss couldn’t help but to increase at this moment. 

Aria smiled and nodded. "I'm aware of the troubles we're going through which is why I'm hesitant to be alone. On a different note…" Aria handed Romario the Vongola Cloud Ring. "I spoke with Dino earlier today about this. We're going to see if Gokudera has a Cloud affinity as well. If so, Dino has agreed to let Gokudera-kun use the ring. Please give this and the Lightning Ring to Gamma along with Tsunayoshi’s address," Aria said with a smile. 

Romario smiled sadly as he took the rings. It must have been hard for his boss to let go of Hibari’s ring, especially after the morning’s dreadful fiasco. “I understand. Shall I instruct him to return to your hotel after, or will he be picking you up here?” 

"I'll be heading to the hotel. The Varia should be there by now, so I'll be fine," Aria said with a smile and a nod. "Thanks for understanding, Romario. I'm going to do my best to make Dino reach his potential." 

Romario’s eyes softened. “We’re all very grateful to you for doing so, ma’am. Please don’t hesitate to count on us whenever you need to,” he said before giving her one last smile and turning to go find Gamma.

 

* * *

 

Aria’s right-hand man was already waiting at the entrance of the house. He took the rings along with the address with nothing more than a few words before heading to his car. He arrived to the Sawada estate in almost no time. Gamma was surprised that the so-called Tenth of the Vongola was living in such a small and unprotected abode. He wondered for a moment if he had gotten the wrong address and looked suspiciously around his surroundings, but soon enough, he was walking up to the front door. 

But before Gamma could knock, Reborn's voice called out seemingly from nowhere. "Who are you and why are you here?" There was a sound of a cocking gun. 

Gamma froze and made no sudden movements. His eyes scanned around his surroundings once more, wondering how he could’ve missed seeing anyone before. To his surprise, he still couldn’t see anyone. His hand itched to reach for his own gun at that moment, but Gamma knew he needed to assess the situation first before things got out of hand. Perhaps this was the right address after all. But was this an enemy or an ally? “My name is Gamma, from the Giglio Nero Family. I am here on business. Who are you? Show yourself,” he demanded, his voice even. 

"What business do you have here?" Reborn insisted, still not showing himself. Not until he was sure that Gamma was telling the truth. He couldn't take any chances when Tsuna's life was in danger. 

Gamma longed to shift uneasily, but he knew from experience that any unexpected movement on his part might trigger a shot from the other party. He wasn’t sure of how much information he should hand out. If this was an enemy, then Gamma’s mission of being unnoticed would go to waste. However, if this was Vongola security, then Gamma was wasting his time playing this game. After another moment of consideration, Gamma finally answered. “I am here on my boss’ orders to deliver a present to her mother’s old acquaintances,” he responded vaguely, in a way that only the Vongola would understand.  

Reborn smirked, impressed at the vaguely specific way he stated this. Yes, this was definitely Aria’s right-hand man. He was certainly smart enough. Not to mention, he knew about the rings. Reborn hopped down from the roof and turned off the speaker he had set up that was hidden in the front garden. He stood in front of Gamma and smirked. Leon turned back from a gun to his normal lizard self. "Gamma. It’s nice to finally meet you." 

Had Gamma been a man that got easily startled, he would have stepped back in surprise at the Arcobaleno’s appearance. As it was, Gamma merely raised an interested eyebrow and allowed himself to relax. So _this_ was the Ninth’s most trusted assassin. Gamma had heard much about him and was glad he had acted with caution a few moments before. He had no doubt he would have lost his life otherwise. “You sure know how to make a lasting first impression, Reborn-san.” He greeted the baby with a nod before reaching for the rings he had stored in his inner pockets. “I had my doubts of whether I’d arrived at the right place, but for me to get greeted in this manner can only mean that this is indeed the where the Vongola Tenth resides.” 

Reborn’s smirk widened and he let out a small, brief chuckle. "Come on in. I bet Aria has been giving you trouble as usual." He opened the door and walked inside, waiting for Gamma to enter before he closed the door once more. "The Storm Guardian is upstairs with the Tenth, so you can give him the rings yourself," Reborn said before leading Gamma up the stairs. 

At the offer, Gamma’s lips slowly widened into a pleased smile. He had hoped to meet the Storm Guardian after all, and he was also more than a little curious to meet with the future head of the Vongola. It always did well to be aware of one’s allies… and possible future threats. 

Gamma followed the Arcobaleno quietly up the stairs, taking note of the house’s inhabitants as he did so. There were no guards around, at least none that he could see. Instead, there were plenty of children around, three of them in fact. One looked remarkably like the missing Ranking Kid, but that couldn’t be possible, right? Overall, the house was rather plain... nothing like what Gamma had imagined such an important member of the Vongola to live in. 

Reborn lead Gamma up to Tsuna's room. Tsuna was sitting in his bed, feeling a lot better than he had earlier. He was leaning against the headboard of his bed, talking with Gokudera with a small smile on his face. But when Reborn opened the door, Tsuna blinked in surprise at the sight of the tall blonde man that followed behind the baby. 

"Reborn? Who is this?" Tsuna asked. 

"This is Gamma, Aria's right-hand man," Reborn introduced him. "Gamma, this is Tsuna, the Vongola Tenth. And this is,” Reborn paused and looked at Tsuna’s self-proclaimed right-hand man for a moment. “Well,” he continued, looking back at the blonde. “This is Gokudera.” 

Gokudera had immediately tensed at the sight of the older man and narrowed his eyes as he stared at him warily. But when Reborn-san began his introductions, Gokudera perked up, and as usual, he waited for the Arcobaleno to introduce him with his self-proclaimed titled. 

Unfortunately, Reborn-san failed to do so as usual, and the dismissal Gokudera received instead made him want to slump in disappointment. 

Gamma’s brows rose high. If he had been surprised by the lack of security around the house (not counting the well-noted Arcobaleno), then he was utterly stunned upon discovering that the Vongola Tenth and his Storm Guardian were nothing more than… teenagers. 

 _Teenagers._  

At least the Cavallone boss had some years in him despite his young looks. The two kids in front of him couldn’t be older than thirteen! Not to mention, the so-called Tenth appeared to have been mauled by a lion or some other sort of wild animal. Was this a joke? 

Gamma promptly asked his question to the Arcobaleno, but received a warning snarl from the silver-haired teen in response instead. 

“Watch your mouth, jerk!” Gokudera was quick to regain his fire, and he sneered in the direction of the blonde man. “Why the hell are you here, and what do you want with the Tenth?” he asked, standing rather protectively in front of his boss, effectively blocking him from the newcomers’ view. 

"Gokudera-kun, please calm down." Tsuna sighed in his usual way. 

"This is no joke, Gamma," Reborn said before looking at Gokudera. "And he's come to give you your new rings, so you better thank him, Gokudera," he said as his lips twitched into a small smirk. 

Gokudera visibly tensed at this, his face scrunching up in annoyance at the announcement as he crossed his arms over his chest. Of course, Gokudera really should have realized this man was no threat, as Reborn-san had invited him in. However, upon meeting the blonde man, Gokudera had instantly gone into the defensive, as he usually did when he met anyone who was older than him. 

Gamma observed the teenager in front of him with an unimpressed and doubtful stare. Was this kid really capable of lighting four, perhaps even five, flames?  He’d have to see it to believe it. Gamma reached into his pocket once more then, and took out the rings. They were all held together by a small chain, so Gamma tossed them over with a doubtful sigh and another glance over. “Here they are. Cavallone sends his regards along with the Cloud Guardian’s ring. I’ll need to have it back if you have no use for it though,” he told the boy with an amused tilt of his lips that set Gokudera’s teeth on edge. 

Upon hearing this, Tsuna tensed and his lips tilted into a frown. "Hibari-san's ring?" He shifted slightly in the bed as if wanting to see if it really was the Vongola Cloud Ring. "How do we have Hibari-san's ring?" 

"The kidnapper sent it to Dino in a package. Once again, trying to intimidate him," Reborn said. "But it may have been their mistake. Gokudera, try it and see if you can light up a fifth flame." He smirked slightly as if he already knew the answer. 

Gokudera, who had effortlessly caught the rings after shooting a glare at the blonde man, quickly freed them from the chain and slipped them all on. All the fingers of his left hand were now occupied, and after a split second of concentration, they all glowed with the proof of his resolution. The result surprised Gokudera slightly, but he had already been considering the fact that he might be Cloud compatible as well. A proud smile still crossed his lips at his accomplishment though. 

Gamma had to say he was impressed. The teen in front of him could indeed produce five flames. It was hard to believe that such a person could exist but the proof was right in front of him. This Gokudera… He was certainly someone to watch out for in the future. The fact that he could do this much at his age merely showed he had much potential.

Five flames... "Gokudera-kun, you have five flames!" Tsuna was shocked for a moment, but couldn’t help but to beam, impressed. Gokudera really was amazing. 

Reborn smirked at this sight, before turning to Gamma. "Send word to Dino that Gokudera will take good care of Hibari's ring until we rescue him. It will be put to good use." 

Gamma nodded at the Arcobaleno’s words, but his gaze never moved from the Storm Guardian’s hand. “I have no doubt it will be,” he murmured lowly to himself, almost inaudibly. But it seemed that Gokudera had heard him and thought he was mocking him however, because Gamma was soon under the smoldering glare of the overly-suspicious teenager. Gamma smirked smoothly in the direction of the young boy, his own eyes narrowing with no small amount of challenge. “You are an interesting kid,” he told him, no amount of teasing in his voice, merely interest. “I look forward to see you in battle someday.” _And perhaps even battle you myself_ , he told the other with his eyes as he held the teen’s gaze intensely with his own. 

Gokudera obviously recognized the challenge. His haughty defensiveness soon switched into a more relaxed challenging smirk of his own. _I’d like to see you try, bastard_ , his own eyes seemed to say. 

Tsuna looked at the two of them and recognized a rivalry forming. At least it looked like a regular rivalry and no one was after each other's necks. Tsuna sighed slightly and felt like he could relax. Now that Gokudera had his new rings, things would be a lot easier when the battle came. He was sure of it. Especially since the Cloud Ring he was using was a Vongola Ring. Reborn had told him before that the Vongola Rings were special, more powerful than normal rings. 

Reborn looked at the two of them and let them have their little challenge stare for a moment before getting back to business. Now was not the time for pleasantries. "Gamma, will you be returning to Aria now?" he asked, knowing all too well that she had probably wandered off on her own again. 

Gamma’s challenging smirk soon turned into a tired but fond sigh at that question. “I expect the boss will be back at the hotel by now. I’ll be heading there straight from here,” he informed him. 

"Good." Reborn nodded before smiling slightly. "The Varia can keep an eye on her, but no one can do better than her right-hand man. She always speaks highly of you, so take good care of her." 

Tsuna listened to them speak before glancing at Gokudera, and then back to his lap. He stayed thoughtfully silent. 

Gamma’s face lightened at the compliment and he nodded with an air that said the counsel was unnecessary. “Of course. I’ll protect my boss with every breath of my being until the day I die,” he vowed easily, honesty laced in every word. 

This devotion made Gokudera’s eyes widen slightly with obvious respect. There was an approving tilt of his lips that had previously only been reserved for his former tutor, and that quack had lost that privilege by the time Gokudera was ten. 

Reborn saw Gokudera's expression and smiled with approval. It was about time that Gokudera got a proper role model. "I'll walk you to the door, Gamma," Reborn said, turning to leave the room. 

"Ah." Tsuna realized the time and looked at Gokudera with concern. "You should go too before it gets too late, Gokudera-kun. I don't want to keep you here like yesterday..." His voice trailed off a bit at the end. 

Gokudera swallowed at the suggestion and nodded sharply. The idea of staying over again was far too overwhelming to consider. He licked his lips and carefully didn’t return his boss’ glance as he replied. “Yeah, I should get going. I’ll see you tomorrow, Tenth…” 

Gamma, who had begun to trail after Reborn, stopped upon hearing this exchange. “If you’re worried about walking home late, I wouldn’t mind giving you a ride, kid,” he offered with a slight smile. 

Gokudera looked surprised at the offer, but after a moment of wary hesitation, he nodded. “Thanks,” he said somewhat awkwardly. Gokudera wasn’t exactly sure of what to make of this man. He was challenging, devoted, and apparently kind too. Gokudera had never met anyone quite like him before. 

Tsuna smiled at this offer, especially when Gokudera accepted. "Thank you, Gamma-san. Be safe," he added the last bit to Gokudera as well. 

Reborn led the two to the front door and smiled. "Drive carefully," he said with a smile as he saw the two of them off. 

Gokudera smiled nervously as he waved his goodbye to the Arcobaleno and followed the blonde man to his car. He was pretty silent as he did so, which made Gamma chuckle slightly as he moved to nudge the other into the car. “Lighten up, kid,” he told him.

Gokudera instantly moved to shoot the man a petulant glare. “Tch, did you forget my name already or are you deaf, old man?” He smirked at the other before getting into the car. 

“What an uncute brat.” Gamma laughed slightly to himself before getting in as well and turning on the car. “Where to?” he asked the kid, and soon enough they were off. 

The car ride ended up being rather short, considering Gokudera only lived a couple of minutes away from the Sawada residence. Gamma inwardly approved of this fact—it was always a smart idea to be in short reach of one’s boss. 

“Thanks for the ride, old man.” Gokudera thanked him as he moved to get out of the car. 

Gamma snorted. “Oi, which part of me looks old?” he protested with a mock-frown before flashing off another smirk. “I guess I’ll see you around town then. I’ll be here until this whole thing is over,” he informed him before taking out a card from his pocket and offering it to the kid. 

Gokudera took the card curiously before shooting Gamma a surprised and questioning stare. It was a phone number. 

Gamma didn’t know why, but something about this kid called out to him. Perhaps it was because they were both their bosses’ right-hand men (though Gamma wasn’t yet aware of this), or perhaps it was the fact that Gamma saw a bit of himself in the kid. He didn’t know, so all he did was smile. “Good luck on your rescue mission. You better not die, kid,” he teased him, watching as the other’s expressions shifted curiously. 

Gokudera wasn’t sure of how to respond to this at first. There was a kind of nostalgic feeling welling up inside of him that he couldn’t quite recognize at the moment. He felt shocked and maybe even a little confused, but after a second, he merely snorted and tried to hide the timidly pleased smile that was threatening to form at his lips. “There’s no way I’ll die before you, old man,” he teased back, trying to ignore the weird clogging at his throat as he slipped the card into his pocket. Maybe all that training was getting him sick, Gokudera thought absently as he exchanged goodbyes with the blonde man. He watched the car ride off for a while before heading into his apartment.

 

* * *

 

Boredom and irritation were a deadly combination, especially when it came to Hibari. There was no clock in his cell, so the only way he could keep track of time was when he was given his meals. For the past two days, his hands had been firmly tied behind his back. He had been unable to get them free no matter what he tried and Hibari was getting very annoyed very fast. 

“You’re looking particularly surly today, Mr. Prefect~” 

Ono, as usual, walked into the prison with a bright smile on his lips. He had a tray of food in his arms, and there was a skip on his step that seemed particularly cheerful today. 

Hibari glared at Ono when he heard him come in. That bastard has been the bane of his existence for the short time Hibari had been here. But Hibari just scowled now, leaning back against the wall and turning away. He didn't dignify the kidnapper with a response. 

“Aww, don’t be like that, Kyouya. You’re going to hurt my feelings~!” Ono tutted slightly as he moved to open the cell of his prisoner. 

" _Don't_ call me Kyouya." Hibari glared at Ono, his murderous aura kicking up a notch. 

Ono’s eyes danced at this response. He had had a feeling the other would be particularly touchy about his first name. “I think I have every right to call you anything I like, Mr. Prefect. After all we’ve been through!” Ono grinned mockingly at his prisoner and moved to sit next to him, the tray of food still in his arms. “You can call me Takumi, you know. Not a lot of people have that privilege,” he informed him as if this was indeed a very serious matter. 

Hibari moved over when Ono sat next to him, though he was quick to hit the corner of the small cell. Once again, he chose to stay silent at these words. He didn't care about his name. All he wanted to do was watch this person die. Preferably by Hibari's own hands... _Especially_ by Hibari’s own hands. 

The redhead looked amused at the other’s actions. Then again, Ono always looked amused. “You know, the silent treatment only makes me more talkative,” he said conversationally as he moved to put the tray of food in front of the prefect, picking up one of the utensils as he did. It was clear that he intended to feed the prefect himself today. Ono smiled. “I sent a present to your boyfriend today. I think he rather liked it.” 

"More pictures?" Hibari asked uncaringly. Though when Ono picked up the utensil, Hibari narrowed his eyes at the offending hand. He glared sharply at it, like a cat bristling and ready to tear it to shreds. It was unfortunate that this cat was currently declawed. 

Ono snorted at the assumption. “That gets old a little too fast, doesn’t it?” he asked the other with a sharp grin, but didn’t actually reveal what exactly he had sent. Instead, he dangled the spoonful of food in front of the prefect’s mouth, waiting patiently for the other to accept it. “Open up, Kyouya~” he teased with prisoner, an ugly smirk simmering beneath his cheerful façade. 

Hibari sneered, turning his face to the side and pressing himself further against the corner, away from Ono. "I said don't call me Kyouya," he growled, before kicking the tray roughly away. The food splattered all over the floor. 

Ono didn’t narrow his eyes; he didn’t even flinch. Instead, he swiftly gripped the other’s cheeks tightly with his free hand, basically forcing the other to open his mouth, before shoveling in the food he had in his other hand. All with a bright smile on his face. “You better not spit that out, Kyouya. I’m not going to be bringing any more meals for the rest of today,” he warned him cheerily. 

If looks could kill, Ono would have turned into a pile of ashes which would have then been burned twice more and then ejected into space where a black hole would have swallowed it up and destroyed every molecule. But looks couldn't do such wonderful things. Nonetheless, Hibari gave Ono the most murderous glare he could muster. He wanted to spit the food out at this man's face, but as his stomach growled, he realized he wasn't the only one being fed. Hibari didn't drop his glare as he closed his mouth and swallowed the much needed food. 

“Hehe, I knew that wouldn’t be difficult for you. After all, prefects like to follow rules, don’t they?” Ono mused with a small smile as he moved back to sit next to his prisoner once more. 

Ono surveyed the ground where all the food had spilled. There was a concerned look on his face that was unmistakably fake. “My, I don’t think this is good for your health, Mr. Prefect. Maybe I _will_ havesomeone over to bring some more food later. We wouldn’t like you to starve after all. I don’t think Mr. Bronco could take another shock like that,” he mused innocently. 

Hibari narrowed his eyes, just continuing to glare at Ono. But that last sentence piqued his interest. "What do you mean another shock?" he questioned lowly. Ono hadn't told him what he had sent to Dino in the first place. Based on his response, it wasn't pictures. 

 _So easy_ , Ono thought amusedly in his mind. Outwardly, he blinked curiously at his prisoner. “But what else could I mean, Mr. Prefect? Your boyfriend woke up quite upset this morning. I’m afraid our present wasn’t quite what he was expecting,” he told him, and smiled longingly. “I wish I could have been there to see it personally, but I supposed I’ll just have to resign myself with the recordings we got of it.” He sighed a bit unhappily. 

Hibari narrowed his eyes in annoyance and kicked Ono's side this time. "Stop being difficult and just tell me what you sent him," he demanded with a low tone of voice. He wondered what they sent Dino that could possibly give him such a shock. 

Ono didn’t twitch at the kick, although he did feel particularly annoyed by it. “You’re being particularly curious about this, huh?” Ono’s grin was all teeth and no humor as he smacked the kid hard across his cheek, hard enough to draw blood. “I suppose I’ll reward you a bit, for being such a nice patient kid,” he murmured and moved to rub his thumb over the bleeding wound he had made. 

Hibari didn't make a sound as his head whipped to the side from the smack. He scowled deeply at the other's tone, and once his hand got close enough, Hibari snapped forward, aiming to bite the other's thumb. 

Ono swiftly moved his hand away, giving his prisoner a small patient smile, before returning to grip at the other’s cheeks tightly in place. The wound bled a little more at his roughness. 

“Now, now, Mr. Prefect. I’ll have you know that when children don’t behave, sometimes adults have to punish those children.” Ono paused and moved to pat the kid’s head with his free hand. “But sometimes,” Ono continued then, his smile becoming particularly vicious. “Sometimes the adults want to punish the parents. And this is why I decided to send Mr. Bronco a present.” Ono smiled, his eyes closing cheerfully as he explained what exactly it was that he sent. “It was hard to obtain all that blood, you know. People had to die,” he told the other in a matter-of-factly tone. 

Hibari's eyes widened a fraction before immediately glaring at the man again. He could only imagine how Dino, who was always so overprotective of him, so concerned over his wellbeing, had reacted. Even Hibari had to admit that this person was sick.  

The prefect tried to shake his head furiously to get it out of Ono's grip. He just growled, trying once more to kick the redhead. 

Ono caught the kick swiftly, at once invading the prefect's personal space by crouching over the other's body, pushing the caught leg towards the boy. He had long since let go of the other's face, but he was now reaching for the kid's ebony locks, caressing them as a parent would to a child. "Now, now, Kyouya. I'm trying to impart an important lesson to you here. I'm afraid you've been lacking parental discipline for quite a while now after all." Ono smiled and tightened his grip on the captured leg.  

Hibari growled. Actually growled. He tried to use his other leg to kick him, but it was trapped under Ono. The prefect shifted uncomfortably as the leg was pushed against his body. "For the last time. Don't call me Kyouya!" Hibari was raising his voice. He couldn't attack this infuriating person and it was driving him mad. He squirmed underneath the redhead, trying to move his head away from the mockingly sweet hand. 

Ono sighed patiently. "Now, Kyouya, I understand that you were never taught any better, but don't you think you should set a good example for your own kid?" he asked him with a voice full of disappointment, and his hand slipped from Hibari's hair then and trailed down to cradle the boy's stomach. Ono stared into the eyes of his prey and smiled. "This child will grow up very lucky. I think my boss has grown interested in it, you know. You really should consider sticking around sooner or later, because after we kill your friends, there will be no one left to rescue you." He chuckled. "Well, even if you die, I promise we'll take good care of this child."  

As soon as Ono touched his stomach, Hibari switched from irritated to defensively angry, almost beyond reason. The moment he could, he was going to beat this person to a bloody pulp. Beat him until all that was left was an unrecognizable slab of meat. Beat him until Hibari personally felt his heart stop beating. "Don't touch me. Don't touch _my_ family. And get the hell out of _my_ town," he growled lowly, before he slammed his head forward, aiming to head butt the other in the face. 

The hit succeeded. Ono hissed slightly in pain as Hibari's forehead slammed against his own. His grip on the other's leg tightened reflexively and his other hand pressed slightly against the boy's stomach, fingers gripping at the cloth there as if to help him keep his balance. But Ono wasn’t angry. When he looked back at his prisoner a second later there was only a slightly ruffled smile on his face. "You sure have a temper on you. You're really going to need to control that if you want to remain here unscathed," he told him, not threateningly but merely factually. An insincere shocked look crossed his face a moment later. "Not that I plan to do anything to _you_. I so loathe dirtying my hands with too much blood." He chuckled as if he had made a particularly good joke.  

Hibari, feeling particularly sensitive there, held his breath until the pressure on his stomach was released. Hearing Ono's words, he hated to slightly agree. He never lost his temper like this before. But he couldn't help it. Hibari usually killed whoever pissed him off but this time his hands were tied. Literally. "That idiot Bronco is going to be just fine," he said, his tone returning to that dangerously low, calm tone he reserved for the people he most hated. "You better hope that he kills you first because if I have a chance, I guarantee that you will die in the worst way I can manage." 

Ono laughed off the threat with an incredulous snort, which indicated exactly what he thought of that laudable idea. "You're definitely cute, Mr. Prefect. I'm starting to see what Mr. Bronco saw in you." He chuckled before finally letting go of the boy and standing up, beginning to move towards the exit. "But I wasn't talking about your boyfriend a moment ago. No, we have a certain friend of yours whom is just _dying_ to see you." Ono smiled now from the other side of the cell. "Maybe if you behave like the good prefect I know you are, we'll stop by tomorrow. I'm sure our new guest will appreciate our hospitality in meanwhile." 

Hibari glared at Ono as he spoke. It wasn't Dino. Was it Kusakabe? No, it couldn't be. Then who else? Hibari's brain was frustratingly drawing a blank. Maybe it was a bluff to get Hibari to behave. Nonetheless, Hibari would have to wait until tomorrow. The prefect glared at Ono, and once the redhead was on the other side of the bars, Hibari slipped back to his normal self. He turned his head away, doing his utmost best to ignore him. 

Ono smiled knowingly and looked pleased at his prisoner’s reaction. He eyed the food splattered inside of the cell for a moment before his smile grew. “Goodnight then, Mr. Prefect. Be good~” he called out before finally making his way out of the prison.

 


	20. Target 19: Upgrades

* * *

**DAY THREE**

* * *

 

Tsuna woke up the next morning feeling a lot better than he had the previous day. Though he was still bandaged up and uncomfortable, it hardly hurt anymore. Only when his bruises were touched would he feel any pain. Of course, that hardly made a difference since Xanxus would be beating him up as usual, that was for sure. 

After getting out of bed, Tsuna changed his bandages, happy that he was able to leave some off, before getting dressed and heading out. He greeted Reborn as he headed out the door before hurrying off to the hotel.

 

* * *

 

 _Crash!_  

“What the fuck is this crap?” Xanxus growled at the plate of rice and fish he had been served for breakfast that morning. The plate that was currently splattered all over the wall. When Xanxus had asked for breakfast that morning, he had clearly specified he wanted an omelette along with his usual coffee. Not this Japanese crap. Xanxus glared around the room with irritation before he barked at his subordinates to get him a new plate of food. And god forgive them if they dared get it wrong again, because Xanxus sure wouldn’t. 

Right as Tsuna knocked on the door, he heard the crash. He flinched slightly, already regretting coming in the first place. But he couldn't leave since he had already knocked. 

Once again, it was Spanner who opened the door. The blonde opened it a crack, and upon spotting the brunette, he smiled humorlessly. "Ah, the little Vongola. You've come at a bad time," he said. 

Tsuna paled slightly to hear his fears confirmed. 

Xanxus growled as he heard his morning being further disturbed by the presence of Vongola scum. The little shit was certainly asking for a death wish coming to his hotel unannounced. Xanxus narrowed his eyes in the direction of the door. 

Through the opening of the door, Tsuna saw Xanxus’ glare. "Hiiii!" He whimpered slightly before backing off. "I-I can come back later!" he said hurriedly to Spanner. 

The blonde mechanic glanced back at Xanxus before looking back at Tsuna. "Perhaps it would be good for your health if you do." 

Unfortunately for Tsuna, it was at that moment that Xanxus’ subordinates quickly burst in the room from behind him, trampling over him in the process. It seemed that they had only sent the previous plate of food before was because they had been taking too long to prepare this one. Of course, due to their hurrying and the obstacle in the way, they had the unfortunate experience of dropping the coveted plate onto the floor where the food spilled once more. 

Xanxus was not amused. 

The Varia boss looked at the scene before him with a silent, murderous expression as he slowly got up from his chair and stalked over to the person who had dropped the food. Xanxus kicked the poor guy hard enough in the face that it sent him flying in the direction where Spanner and Tsuna were. The guy hit the wall, and there was an ominous snap. Then, Xanxus directed his glare to the Vongola brat as if this had been his entire fault. He glowered at him murderously and his hand reached for the nearest thing at hand. 

"Run." 

"What…?" 

"Run." Spanner's tone turned slightly more urgent, and Tsuna watched in horror as Xanxus grabbed the desk lamp off the nearby table. Despite Spanner's repeated warnings, Tsuna found himself glued to the spot, his eyes wide and his knees shaking. When he did finally turn around, it was too late. The lamp smashed into the back of Tsuna's head and the young Mafia boss was immediately knocked out. 

Spanner sighed sympathetically at the sight. He absentmindedly rubbed the back of his own head, remembering the first time Xanxus had thrown something at him. The man had deadly aim. 

“Am I paying you to stand around and look like an idiot? Get to fucking work, trash! I want that meal here within the next three minutes or your head is next!” Xanxus looked irritated to point out the obvious. For a brief second, he wished the rest of his worthless subordinates were here since they seemed to do a marginally better job than the rest of the remaining scum. 

Spanner nodded. "Alright, Boss. Mini Mosca, help me out, will you?" As Spanner headed out to go get the food, a small Mosca trailed after him with a few affirmative beeps. When Spanner returned two minutes later with the food, he was careful not to drop it. He placed it on the table in front of Xanxus as Mini Mosca placed the steaming cup of coffee down beside it. "Here you go, Boss," the blonde said, shifting his lollipop to one cheek. As he did, Mini Mosca returned to the hallway, dragging the unconscious Tsuna into the room and out of the hallway so he could close the door. 

Xanxus hardly looked pleased, but it was obvious that he was by the way he began eating without further word. He took his time enjoying the food, taking long languid sips of his coffee between each bite. A small almost imperceptible smile curled around the edges of his lips when he finally finished eating. There was silence as he remained in his chair, leaning back as he surveyed his room. The previous food was still spilled all over the floor, along with the Vongola trash. By the time he returned today, he expected everything to be cleaned or heads were going to roll. 

His eyes then returned to the Vongola trash. With an irritated sigh, Xanxus finally got out of his chair and moved over to kick awake the brat’s unconscious body, none too lightly. 

Tsuna didn't wake up, even at the kick. He just flopped over limply. 

Spanner, who had been tinkering with Mini Mosca while Xanxus was eating, looked over and sighed. "I think you hit him too hard, Boss," he pointed out, holding the lollipop stick and twirling it around in his mouth. 

Xanxus merely grunted and kicked the brat again, harder. And despite the fact that the brunette slammed against the wall painfully, he still didn’t wake up. Xanxus was irritated. “Carry him.” He scowled in impatience before swiftly turning to walk out the door. 

Seeing as Spanner was the only one in the room, it would make sense that Xanxus was talking to him. He looked at the unconscious Tsuna and sighed heavily. He wasn't good at manual labor... "Mini Mosca. You can carry him, right?" He looked at the small robot and it nodded before walking over and picking Tsuna up easily. Spanner smiled, impressed at his robot's strength. The blonde headed out with Xanxus, leading the Mini Mosca. 

They headed out of the hotel and back to the mountains. Upon arrival, Xanxus became more irritated at the fact that the brat _still_ hadn’t woken up. He glared intently at him as if his gaze alone could do the job. If Xanxus had to wait any longer, he was going to kick him off the cliff like the trash that he was. He was already disappointed that the brat hadn’t died yesterday when he had done so. 

Spanner was panting by the time they had arrived to the top of the mountain. He was not fit enough for this. He belonged in front of a computer, not climbing mountains! But Spanner’s thoughts quickly shifted when he caught a glimpse of Xanxus' increasing anger. Spanner decided that instead of waiting for the brunette to wake, he needed to wake him up as soon as he could. He moved over to the brunette and thought for a moment. "Mini Mosca," he said after a beat. "Try the water." 

The small robot put Tsuna down and reached into his chest before pulling out a glass of cool water. He turned it over and dropped it on Tsuna's face. 

Immediately, Tsuna coughed and sputtered at the freezing cold water that was getting in his nose and mouth. "Ah! D-Don't hit me!" Tsuna stammered immediately, before blinking as he realized he wasn't at the hotel anymore. 

"Vongola, good thing you're awake," Spanner said with a small smile before pointing a bare lollipop stick at Xanxus. 

Tsuna followed the lollipop stick before he jumped at the sight of the Varia boss. They were already at the mountain! 

Xanxus clicked his tongue in disappointment. It seemed he had been ready to go through his plan of kicking the brunette off the cliff. _Ah well, perhaps later_ , Xanxus thought menacingly, as he began focusing his flames in the palm of his hand, apparently too lazy to take out his guns yet. He chucked his Flame of Wrath in the direction of his “student,” completely uncaring about the fact that his mechanic was standing there as well. 

The moment Tsuna saw Xanxus focusing the flames, he moved as fast as he could. He shoved his gloves on and swallowed the pills just in time. "Zero Point Breakthrough: Revised!" Tsuna's flames flashed, sucking up Xanxus' flame. 

Spanner, who had put his arm in front of Mini Mosca in defense, stared in slight shock at the boy's quick reflexes. 

Xanxus frowned, clearly annoyed that his attacked had been absorbed. He didn’t even look impressed at the other’s speed. “You better not waste my time today, scum,” Xanxus warned the brat in a low, threatening voice as he took out his guns. And so it began. 

Tsuna rushed up to Xanxus and began fighting. Spanner watched with Mini Mosca, the small robot giving him a new wrench-shaped, strawberry lollipop. The blonde briefly thanked the robot and watched Tsuna's movements with interest. 

Tsuna was still experimenting with the hard flames, waiting for the right moment to use his X-Burner, the name he had given his new attack. Once in a while, he'd punch Xanxus, using the hard flames, before switching once more to the soft ones for maneuvering. 

Xanxus was far from satisfied by the scum’s progress, but at least the other had finally begun using the ring’s flames. It gave him more of a speed boost than before, not to mention an increase in strength as well, but compared to the experience Xanxus had gained after five months of constant training, it was nothing. Xanxus could see the brat was trying to time some sort of super move, so naturally, he didn’t allow him to. Their battle quickly became less aerial and more close combat, and Xanxus’ guns swiftly disappeared into his jacket as he threw out punch after kick to the other, never giving him a chance to rest. 

Damn. If things continued like this, Tsuna was never going to be able to use the X-Burner. It got to the point where Tsuna could hardly attack back. The brunette was backing up slowly at the force and ferocity of Xanxus' attacks. Xanxus wasn’t giving him any ground left to use the X-Burner. 

 _/ Who said you needed ground? /_ Tsuna's eyes widened as he heard Zero's voice. _/ All you need are the soft flames and hard flames, isn't that right? /_  

Tsuna frowned, taking this into consideration. But in the moment he was distracted, he was thrown back by Xanxus' punch. Tsuna flew off the edge of the cliff, gaining his bearings back. But Zero didn't give him time. 

_/ Now! /_

Tsuna immediately took the position and started it up as fast as he could. He pushed the soft flames behind him, and a second later, "X-Burner: Air!" he shouted as the hard flames shot forward. But since he did it so quickly, not having time to settle, Tsuna had to stop the attack after a short burst. 

But the short burst was enough to leave a lasting impression in Xanxus’ mind. The minute the brat had gathered up his flames, Xanxus had instinctively lunged as far away from its range as possible. As it was, the damage hit plenty of the mountain ground and left a telltale imprint of its power just in front of where Xanxus had been moments before. 

The Varia boss was distinctly annoyed and proud at the same time. Then he grew angry at the fact he had felt any sort of positive emotion towards the current Vongola successor. 

“Tch.”

Xanxus scowled as he got back up to his feet. His guns were out again. “Nice trick, but I won’t give you a second chance to pull that on me,” he warned him, before swiftly shooting up into the air and beginning to attack again. It seemed the Varia boss had noticed that the technique would work better if on the ground, so he made sure to keep the brunette up in the air. 

Spanner stared wide-eyed at the crater left by the Vongola's attack. "A... mazing..." he murmured. But the best part was that Spanner saw every flaw. "Mini Mosca, give me my computer," he muttered hurriedly. The little robot opened a compartment in his stomach which extended, revealing a drawer-like container where a laptop sat. Spanner opened up the computer right then and there, and began typing furiously, pointing a web camera at Tsuna as he did. 

Tsuna dodged Xanxus' attacks as best he could, quickly realizing that he would be unable to get to the ground like this. So he thought once more. He tried to set up the X-Burner again, but didn't have enough time. He had to abandon it in favor of dodging Xanxus' shots once more.

Xanxus smirked widely. “Seems like your super move is nothing more than a one-hit-kill, huh?” He quickly shot forward until he was behind the brat and used the handle of his gun to hit the back of the fool’s neck. “You’re going to get killed if you only rely on that, trash.” Xanxus taunted him as he watched him fall down hard back on to the ground. The slam made a small crater of its own, just like Xanxus had wanted. 

Tsuna's eyes widened and he had no time to react. With a cry of pain, he crashed into the hard rock; though most of the crater was made by Tsuna using soft flames to cushion the impact. Smoke billowed up around him, kicked up by the flames as well as his crash. 

But the moment the smoke cleared, Xanxus would be greeted with quite the sight. "X-Burner!" Tsuna had his feet firmly on the ground and the flames that shot up at the Varia boss were much more powerful this time. 

“Shit!” Xanxus had belatedly remembered in his smug desire to one-up the brat about the possibilities of the shot only becoming stronger once on the ground. It was a huge oversight, but he had been annoyed and hadn’t thought the brat could fuel that up that fast.

Unfortunately, he had little time to dodge so he had to counter with his own attack. “Colpo d’Addio!” Xanxus couldn’t believe that the brat had forced him to use one of his new moves already. Both attacks slammed against each other and then it was just a battle of wills. 

Spanner stared at the clash of flames and made sure the camera was focused before taking out a device with an antenna that was attached to his computer. He pointed the device at Tsuna and looked at his laptop screen, before gaping at the result. 100,000 Fiamma Volts. 

Tsuna gritted his teeth, his arms shaking with the strain of holding back Xanxus' attack with his experimental one. His injuries were starting to flare up with pain and Tsuna trembled before flying back, narrowly escaping Xanxus' attack. Tsuna lay back on the floor, panting heavily as his body pounded with pain. 

Xanxus was pleased when his attack managed to overthrow the other’s, although it did take some effort on his part. Once the smoke cleared, Xanxus stared at the brat with an unreadable expression on his face, wondering how in the world that piece of scum had managed to progress this far over the past two days. There was something about this whole thing that made Xanxus uneasy. Not only was the brat ten years his junior but it seemed that he had some sort of hidden ability that allowed him advance greatly during short periods of time. Xanxus eyed the Vongola Ring warily, and felt a mixture of fury and longing course through him. That ring had to have something to do with this. Xanxus dreaded to consider the alternative. 

“Tch.” Xanxus crossed his arms over his chest once he was back on the ground. “I’m done here. Find a way to improve that shit. You get tired too easily and have no control. It takes too damn long for you to load up.” Xanxus began lecturing the brat about the flaws of his move as he stalked over to him with each word, pointedly ignoring the fact that he was actually helping the brat out. And if anyone questioned him, Xanxus would merely respond that Vongola couldn’t afford to have weak scum leading them around—before promptly shooting the idiot who asked in the face. 

“Don’t show your face in front of me again until you’ve improved, got that, you worthless scum?” Xanxus glowered at the brunette on the ground, giving him one last sharp kick on his side before stalking off the mountain and back to his hotel. 

Tsuna watched as Xanxus approached him, listening to his words. He let out a slight whimper of pain at the kick before watching Xanxus walk off. He rubbed his side and closed his eyes as he allowed the Dying Will Flame to fade out. He was so tired. So hurt. He just lay on the floor, panting, trying to get the strength to stand up; hell, even sitting would be an accomplishment. 

Tsuna opened his eyes again to see the Mini Mosca standing over him. It beeped softly, holding out a glass of water. Tsuna couldn't help but to smile a bit. The robot helped him sit up and Tsuna gratefully drank down the offered drink. The brunette looked around and spotted Spanner a few feet away, completely absorbed in his laptop. Tsuna held the glass in silence for a moment as he gathered the courage to speak. 

"Um, excuse me," he finally said.

Spanner showed no reaction; he just continued to type away. 

"Excuse me!" Tsuna called again and Spanner grunted in response. 

"What is it, Vongola?" Spanner answered distractedly, his eyes never leaving the laptop screen. 

"Well... I was wondering what it was that you were doing..." Tsuna said, turning the glass in his hands. 

Spanner finally looked over, and when he did, he gave the brunette a smile. "I'm going to fix it." 

Tsuna blinked. "Fix it?" 

"I'm going to perfect your X-Burner." Spanner smiled widely as if he had just announced that he had the winning lottery ticket. Immediately, he returned his attention to the laptop, leaving Tsuna sitting in slight shock. 

Spanner was part of the Varia, right? So then why was he so happy to help him? Tsuna bit his lip slightly as he shuffled closer to see what Spanner was doing. 

"Look," Spanner said once Tsuna was close enough. He pointed to the footage he had just obtained, pausing at the moment Tsuna had shot off his X-Burner. "You're off balance. Your arms aren't straight. That's why you can't hold it. There's no symmetry." 

Tsuna saw it. His arms weren't in the correct position. As Spanner played the footage, Tsuna saw himself struggling to keep the hard flames under control when his soft flames simply weren't in the right place. "I see it now, but what about when I'm in battle? I can't see myself, so how am I supposed to know when I'm balanced?" 

Spanner smiled again. "Don't worry about that, Vongola. I'll take care of it. Why don't you go home and rest?" 

Tsuna looked at the blonde before nodding at the very good idea. "Okay. Are you going back to the hotel?" 

"I think I'm going to stay out here for a bit. Boss won't let me work if I go back," Spanner said, his attention once more attached to the screen. 

"Ah… Alright…" Tsuna murmured before finally giving the glass back to the Mini Mosca. "Um, take care, Spanner." 

The blonde didn't respond, once more completely absorbed into his computer. 

Tsuna sighed before turning to head down the mountain to go home.

 

* * *

 

Dino’s morning started relatively fine. Well, he did wake up restless as usual (his nightmares had definitely been fueled by yesterday’s fiasco) and he had been wary that he might receive a new “gift” in the mail, but to his surprise, none came. He wasn’t exactly sure if he was relieved by that or not. 

Nevertheless, not long after breakfast was consumed, Aria and her right-hand man arrived to pick him up and take him to Namimori Middle School. Without any of his subordinates following behind. Dino was understandably nervous. 

Aria had asked Romario to follow them to the school about five minutes after they left so Dino wouldn't be suspicious. In the car, she gave Dino a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Dino. We won't be doing difficult things. We'll start slow." 

“Haha… There’s no need to go so easy on me, Aria.” Dino flashed the Arcobaleno a somewhat smooth smile at her words and tried not to look so nervous. It wasn’t that he was scared of getting hurt—oh no, Dino was used to pain after enduring Reborn’s rather insane training methods. He just didn’t want to cause irrevocable damage to school property. Kyouya got highly volatile whenever his school was under threat. That was one of the reasons that impulsed Dino to eventually decide to train him all over Japan instead of remaining at the school. Dino had made sure this morning to double-check, triple-check even, that Enzo hadn’t snuck in somewhere under his clothes in order to avoid a repeat of Fiasco # 11. That… hadn’t been very pleasant experience. Dino had ended up with a broken jaw courtesy of the Namimori prefect after that particular incident. 

Aria’s smile just widened in response. 

When they arrived at the school, Aria immediately led them up to the roof. "I'm certain you're wondering why I chose the school, Dino," she commented, offering a small smile to the blonde boss before continuing. "It’s to make sure you don't relax. You have a powerful whip and I'm sure that with one strike, you could break something up here," she said, clearly aware about Hibari's murderous love for this school. 

"Aim carefully," Aria cautioned with a small grin. 

Dino laughed a little nervously as he fingered the leather of his whip carefully. “You’ve been talking to Reborn, haven’t you?” He eyed her with a bit of a wary smile, wondering just how alike the Arcobaleno were. 

Aria laughed a bit. "I'm sorry, Dino, but it’s needed. Whenever your men aren't around, you relax too much. That causes you to be clumsy. You need to learn how to fight seriously even when your men aren't around." She walked over to the railing on the edge of the roof. "From where you are, Dino, I would like you to wrap your whip around one of these bars," she said, pointing to the metal bars before standing back. 

Dino inwardly thought she wasn’t standing far enough to avoid the disaster that was sure to follow, although with Gamma standing at her side, Dino was at least reassured she wouldn’t be seriously injured (not to mention Dino was more likely to injure himself). So it was with a hesitant flick of his whip that he not only managed to trip himself, but he also completely failed to hit his mark. “Whoops…?” He smiled sheepishly and then winced as he noticed he had left a small imprint on the ground. Thankfully, nothing too big. Kyouya had done worse. 

Aria walked over and helped Dino to his feet. "Remember the focus work we've been doing. Stop thinking that you can't and just do it." She stood back again. "The more you think that you can't, the more you will be unable to hit your mark." 

“I know, I know.” Dino gave a little sigh of frustration, berating himself for not having focused in the first place. He was really overthinking things. There was no reason to be nervous about damaging the school or Aria, not when Kyouya was currently in trouble in gods-knew-where, possibly hurt, possibly injured and starving and bleeding and—and how more pathetic could Dino get? He really needed to concentrate. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind. Kyouya was going to be safe. His men were currently safe. Dino could protect them all; he _would_ protect them all. 

This time when his whip shot out, no injury befell anyone except the wall next to the bars which shattered on impact. “Crap,” Dino muttered under his breath and winced. He had concentrated a little too hard this time. 

Beside Aria, Gamma cocked an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest. It was clear he was wondering how someone so uncoordinated could be the boss of the Cavallone Family. 

"You're getting closer, Dino," Aria reassured him. "You're doing very well. Keep your focus and try again," she said, looking unfazed by the damages Dino was causing. She, of course, would get someone to fix the school after they left, but Dino didn't need to know that right now. 

Dino nodded and took another breath. _Kyouya’s going to kill me if I don’t get this right._ The blonde smiled a bit at that thought. _I need to get over this. I don’t know why or how the heck I’ve lasted this long so far._ He readied his whip. _If I can do this without them, I can protect them. They wouldn’t have to risk their lives for me because I wouldn’t need them to._

These thoughts seemed to click something in place inside of Dino’s brain, because the next time he flicked his wrist, the whip successfully wrapped itself around the bars. He smiled. 

Of course, Tsuna wasn't the only one Reborn was keeping an eye on. As he stood on the pillar next to the school gate, Reborn smiled at his former student's success. He jumped down to the sidewalk and looked at Romario. "He's going to be just fine. I'll be going now," he said, and turned to walk off back to Tsuna's house. He had a guest to attend to. 

Romario watched the Arcobaleno leave with a relieved smile on his face at the report. He was glad his boss would finally be able to take care of himself without them. They worried enough about him as it was. 

"Dino! You did it!" Aria smiled happily. "I knew you could!" she praised the blonde. She had Dino do several more exercises with his whip before turning to Gamma. She asked him if he had brought his staff. 

Gamma smirked at the question. “Of course, Boss. You know I always keep it with me.” Gamma took out his collapsible staff from his coat’s inner pocket. Gamma did not often have the opportunity to have a close range fight since most threats could be taken care of via gun. But Gamma, like any good right-hand man—hell, like any good Mafioso—was a cautious man. There was no reason not to bring a good weapon along. 

Aria was pleased to hear so. "Alright then. Both of you, please coat your weapons in your flames. Gamma, I’d like you to attack." She turned to the Cavallone boss. "And Dino, you’re only allowed to block and dodge. I want you to work on your maneuverability during battle." 

Dino nodded in understanding and moved to coat his whip with Sky Flames. He was going to have particularly careful wielding it now considering his flame was highly destructive. 

As was Lighting Flame if Dino recalled correctly. He eyed the other blonde warily. 

“No need to look at me like that, Cavallone. I don’t think my boss would be happy if I intentionally did damage to this school. I can’t go all out with all these kids around anyway.” Gamma shrugged lightly, and his words served to put Dino at ease. 

Soon enough, their sparring began. 

Gamma wielded the staff like an expert. Dino was used to blocking incoming blows, but they were usually in shorter reach and at a faster pace. Gamma’s movements were both sharp and swift, not to mention singeing. It was overall a rather draining exercise. Dino hadn’t fought any Lightning users before and he wasn’t exactly sure if he wanted to have a repeat experience. Combined with his rather shaky focus, Dino ended up with more bruises and cuts than he would’ve liked. 

After letting them spar for a while, Aria stopped them, not wanting Dino to become too injured. "Thank you, Gamma. You did really well. As did you, Dino. Much better than I thought you would. You're improving very well," she said. "Let's return to the house for now and relax a bit. You deserve it." They had already been at the school for a few hours. 

Dino frowned and was about to protest that he could still go on when he noticed that school had certainly ended quite a while ago. He had been so focused that he had lost track of time. Now that he had finally stopped, he noticed all the injuries he had gained. Dino shot a rather rueful smile at the other blonde. “You certainly didn’t go easy on me.” 

Gamma smirked. “No good training comes from that, does it?” 

Dino laughed. “True. Thanks for today,” he told him before turning to Aria. “Shall we go then?” 

"Yes, let’s." Aria smiled with a nod. She was glad that Gamma and Dino were getting along. As they walked off the roof, Aria texted Romario to go back to the house so Dino wouldn't see them around. 

All in all, today had been a success.

 

* * *

 

Tsuna arrived home tired and worn out. He walked into the house and wanted to head straight upstairs like he had done the previous day. Unfortunately, today Reborn decided to call Tsuna to the kitchen. Tsuna sighed and walked over, but upon entering the kitchen his expression shifted. He stared wide-eyed at the sight that received him. Reborn was having tea with a green-haired baby that looked like a mad scientist. 

"Ah, so this is the famous Vongola Tenth." Said baby pushed up his glasses with a smirk. 

"Tsuna, this is Verde. One of the Arcobaleno," Reborn explained. Tsuna looked at Verde and gulped, slightly apprehensive when he thought about how rough Reborn and Colonnello were. Was Verde similar? He was at least relieved when Verde didn't kick him at first sight. 

“Don’t worry, Tsuna-nii,” Fuuta’s voice called out from Tsuna’s right. Due to Tsuna’s exhaustion, the brunette hadn’t noticed that Fuuta had been around. “The Lightning Arcobaleno is only ranked as number five of eight in the Arcobaleno-most-likely-to-cause-physical-injury-upon-first-meeting category.” Fuuta’s voice suddenly droned as he called out ranking statistics. Many items surrounding him began to float as he did so. 

"HII!" Tsuna never got used to Fuuta's ranking powers. He flailed slightly as he floated up, caught in the boy's anti-gravity field. "Th-That's a relief!" he stammered though, hearing Fuuta's ranking. 

Reborn and Verde were outside the range so they continued to sit pleasantly. Verde smirked a bit wider, seeing Fuuta. He was definitely an interesting subject. He'd have to study him later. 

For now... "So what is it you called me here for, Reborn?" Verde said, putting his tea cup down. 

"I called you for a very special job that only you can do," Reborn replied with a smile. 

Said important job decided to make his way to the kitchen then. Unfortunately, he was caught in Fuuta’s anti-gravity field. “Ahh! Lambo-san’s candy!” A certain cow began to protest wildly as his candy began floating away from his hair along with a couple of other items, such as his Vongola Ring. “Noo!” The floating five-year-old tried to reach for his missing treasures to no avail. 

Meanwhile, Fuuta continued ranking in the background. “…. is also ranked number one in the most-likely-to-kidnap-people-in-order-to-research-them category.” 

Tsuna reached out, catching the Vongola Ring. "Lambo! Take better care of your things! Especially this!" he said, holding out the Lightning Ring to the five-year-old. Though things were rapidly getting out of hand as I-Pin ran over to try and bring Lambo to the ground, but floated up as well. "Fuuta!" Tsuna called out, exasperated. "Please let us down!" 

Verde just chuckled amusedly, though he eyed the Vongola Lightning Ring with a certain glint in his eye as he sipped his tea. 

“…Huh?” Fuuta suddenly blinked as he came back to normal. His eyes widened. “Oh! I need to go write this stuff in my book!” he exclaimed, before dashing out of the kitchen and up to his room. 

Naturally, everyone ended up falling down hard as the laws of gravity suddenly made sense again. 

This, of course, meant that Lambo began crying upon hitting the ground. Loudly. Surprisingly, this also had the unexpected effect of igniting the ring Tsuna had given Lambo back just a few moments ago. The house shone brightly green as the flames reacted to Lambo’s crying. 

"Lambo! Don't cry! Don't cry!" I-Pin hurried over, trying to soothe her friend. Tsuna, though, was shocked at the amount of flames Lambo was producing from the ring. 

Verde's eyebrows shot up in interest as he stared. Reborn smirked and didn't interfere, glad the Lightning Arcobaleno was getting interested. It'd be that much easier to convince him to do the job he wanted. 

Lambo continued crying however. It was not until I-Pin cleverly handed Lambo some of his fallen candy that the five-year-old was able to calm down. 

“Mine!” Lambo’s mood swiftly switched as he was given his candy. He glared sullenly around the room and then took notice of his mortal enemy. “THIS IS ALL REBORN’S FAULT! DIE!” he announced then, and began launching himself at him, grenade in hand. 

Reborn put his cup of tea down and sighed. He kicked Lambo sharply in the head, making him drop the grenade before he pulled the pin out. He then kicked Lambo a second time, sending the little cow flying across the kitchen. 

"Reborn!" Tsuna frowned at this, knowing that Lambo would probably resort to what he always resorted to when there was nothing else left. 

"You definitely lead an interesting life, Reborn," Verde said with an amused smirk. 

Lambo crashed hard against the wall of the kitchen before falling back down to the floor. The young Bovino began trembling all over again as he repeated his usual mantra. “Gotta… Stay… Calm…! WAAAAAAAAH!!!!!” It seemed that being injured twice in as many seconds was too much for the cow and soon he was climbing into his bazooka which soon emitted its usual pink smoke. 

There was a quiet, patient sigh. “Yare, yare. Back here again?” Adult Lambo ran a hand through his rather disheveled hair. There was a hint of chocolate at the corner of his lips that indicated he had been eating sweets. 

Reborn smirked. 

Verde stood up in shock and stared at the purple bazooka. "Is that... the Ten Year Bazooka?!" He immediately hurried over to it, inspecting it closely, before switching his attention to the fifteen-year-old teenager that had come from the future. "It is. I can't believe it. I've never seen one in person before. They're so rare." 

"I need you to help me, Verde." Reborn walked over to him. "Upgrade it. We want a time that's longer than five minutes," he said before looking at Adult Lambo. "As for you, I need to talk to you about something very important." He paid no attention to Verde, whom now had a wicked look in his eyes. The Lightning Arcobaleno began to immediately carry the Ten Year Bazooka out of the house without another word. 

Tsuna's eyes widened, not sure if this was even a good idea... 

Adult Lambo looked startled about all that had happened before he could even begin to protest. He barely spared a glare at his arch-nemesis, too busy contemplating how fast he could run after the green-haired scientist. “Oi, oi. That Bazooka is not meant to be tinkered with…” He frowned and was already beginning to head out of the house. Both his eyes were open and clearly alert. 

Reborn kicked Lambo in the back of the head. "Hey. Don't ignore me. Verde is going to give it back. He won't be able to resist showing off the improvements, so don't worry about it. Now sit down. We need to talk," he said sternly. 

Lambo bit his lip painfully as he felt the hard kick at the back of his head. His eyes watered when he turned around to glare at Reborn. “You don’t get it, Mr. I’m-so-much-better-than-everyone-else! That Bazooka is not _meant_ to be tinkered with!” he protested and crossed his arms tightly over his chest. Clearly, he had realized the case was a lost cause, but couldn’t help but to whine about it. “Whatever. I hope it explodes on his face or something. He’s never been helpful anyway,” he grumbled under his breath, clearly disgruntled. 

Reborn sat back down at the table. "Tsuna. Come here," he said. 

Tsuna, who had been watching the scene with shock, jumped as Reborn turned his attention to him, but nodded and walked over. He sat down next to Reborn. The Sun Arcobaleno explained the kidnapping situation to Adult Lambo quickly, so as not to run out of time. "When the battle comes in four more days, we're going to call for you. If Verde succeeds, you'll have more time here to fight." 

Lambo made a face about that. “That’s the reason you’re messing around with _things not meant to be messed with_?!” Lambo scowled at his arch-nemesis before dramatically slamming his hands down on the table. “There is no way I’m getting involved in this crazy battle! Are you kidding me? If I die in this time, that means no more me in the future. You understand, right, Young Vongola?” He looked at Tsuna pleadingly then, knowing he was more likely to get a favorable response from him than from Reborn. 

"Reborn, I don't think it’s a good idea to bring Lambo into this battle at all." Tsuna frowned, looking slightly nervous. 

"He's a Guardian, Tsuna." Reborn looked serious. 

"But he's a kid!" Tsuna shook his head with disapproval. "I don't think it’s fair to bring him along when he can't handle something big like this!" 

Lambo shifted uneasily at these words, looking rather guilty for some reason all of the sudden. He seemed conflicted to speak up now. “…I guess if you _really_ need-” 

But before they could finish hearing what Adult Lambo was trying to say, he was suddenly cut off as time finally ran out. Pink smoke erupted and then dispersed to show an exhausted five-year-old Lambo back in his right time. His face was full of chocolate stains, and he looked content, though clearly tired. “Nngg… Lambo-sama is better than stupid Reborn…” he grumbled sleepily before curling up on top of the table and passing out. 

Reborn looked satisfied. "Thank you, Tsuna. You can go now," he said before jumping off the table and walking off. 

Tsuna looked utterly confused at what had just happened. Had he just helped Reborn convince Lambo without even knowing it...? Tsuna groaned, putting his hands over his face before he looked at the small five-year-old Lambo. He frowned slightly. He had to make sure to protect Lambo if Reborn forced him to come along. At least it would be Adult Lambo who would be doing the fighting…

 


	21. Target 20: Meetings

Hibari hadn't received breakfast that morning. He was hungry and it was obvious by the way his stomach growled. He wasn't sure what time it was and if he was going to get food anytime soon. He had made a vow to himself that no matter how infuriating Ono was, he had to eat. It was important. 

Though perhaps it was lucky that Ono didn't come that day. 

"You-kun," said Ayumu, the Mist Guardian of the Vendetta Family, whom was standing outside the cell door holding onto a long metal staff. Said staff looked as if it was divided into segments, and with one end touching the floor, it rose to a height of about five and a half feet. 

Beside him, the Sun Guardian was carrying Hibari's food. 

"From what Takkun keeps saying, this guy seems pretty interesting." Ayumu peered between the bars and tilted his head a bit, frowning. "He looks so ordinary." 

Hibari frowned, staring at the two people. Who the hell were they? 

Youta sighed and wondered for the fifth time that morning why he had to be stuck doing this job. “He’s tied up, senpai. What do you want him to do, give you a lap dance?” The brunette scrunched up his nose at that thought. “Let’s just hurry up and do this. Boss is in a mood today.”  

"That wouldn't be a bad idea." Ayumu smirked, opening the door to the cell and walking in. "Hiba-chan, was it?" He smiled a bit. "We'll be feeding you today." He moved and sat right next to Hibari, placing his chin on the prefect's shoulder. "My name's Ayumu. That's Youta." 

Hibari grimaced and shoved Ayumu off of him, refusing to speak to them. 

Youta rolled his eyes at these theatrics. He never understood why all his senpai always loved picking on other people. It was clearly too much work. “Fujita-senpai,” he reprimanded the Mist user almost tiredly. The other knew Boss didn’t want them riling up the prisoner. 

Ayumu huffed slightly before he leaned back against the wall. "Fine, fine," he said before looking at Youta. "Well? Feed him so we can go." The Mist user switched his gaze to Hibari again, looking over him in great detail. 

Hibari narrowed his eyes at Ayumu before looking at Youta, his face in that familiar unemotional wall. 

Youta sighed once more. Why did he have to do the feeding? He wouldn’t have minded before, but since his senpai had decided to tag along, why couldn’t _he_ do the job instead? With a disgruntled murmur, Youta moved to sit down crossed legged in front of the prisoner. He held out a loaf of bread without a word, merely frowning at Hibari and waiting for him to take a bite. 

Hibari glared at this. He moved his hands a bit before he sneered and leaned forward a bit, taking a bite of the bread. 

"Oh, come on, Hiba-chan. Don't look so sad." Ayumu smirked, poking Hibari's cheek with his staff, to which Hibari pulled his head away with a grimace. "How about I make things more comfortable?" Ayumu reached out, grabbing the bread from Youta's hands as Mist Flames covered his body. 

"Now, say 'ah,' Kyouya." The Mist Flames disappeared to show a perfect replica of Dino Cavallone, holding the bread to Hibari's mouth. 

The prefect's eyes widened for a moment before he growled. "I hate illusionists." 

"Oh, come on." Ayumu's voice was a perfect Dino imitation as well. "Just let your lover feed you, hm?" 

Hibari sneered and leaned over, biting into the bread but making sure to bite on to Ayumu's finger as well. Ayumu pulled back his hand quickly, dropping the bread and returning to his normal appearance. "Ow! Hiba-chan, that wasn’t nice." He pouted. 

Youta snorted. “You should have bit him harder,” he told the prisoner. “Illusionists hate pain, you know?” He shot a disapproving frown at his senpai and picked up the bread of the floor. He put it back in front of the prefect. “Eat. Preferably as fast as you can,” he ordered, mainly because he wanted to get out of there already. 

Hibari, for once, found someone he was able to agree with. He ate, doing his best to ignore the illusionist next to him. But it was hard, especially when Ayumu began poking him in various places with his staff. Hibari got especially pissed when the staff neared his stomach. "Stop. Touching. Me." Hibari warned lowly, giving Ayumu a glare. 

Ayumu smirked, committing the glare to memory. 

“ _Senpai,_ ” Youta warned the other irritably and put out a hand to stop the teasing before someone ended up bleeding. Youta would not appreciate having to clean up or heal anyone without good reason. 

"Shh. You-kun. You're interrupting my research." Ayumu waved Youta's hand away as his staff began to pull up Hibari's shirt. The prefect lashed out and sent a kick towards Ayumu. Though the illusionist was quick to get out of range, still using his staff with a smile. 

Youta ducked as well since the kick was well within his range. He sighed tiredly once more and decided to just let it be. “If you die, please get rid of your own corpse, senpai,” he told him mildly as he moved out of their range. If any of this got back to the Boss, Youta was pleading innocent. 

Ayumu chuckled slightly, watching Hibari glare at him. He could see the murderous aura flowing off the prefect in waves and he felt like he got it pretty down to a pat. "You-kun, finish feeding our dear prisoner," he said with a smile, gently poking Youta's cheek with his staff. "I'll be going now." He then turned and headed out of the cell. 

At this, Hibari allowed the murderous intent to lower a bit more. 

Youta groaned. Fujita-senpai made no sense sometimes. Well, it’s not like Youta wanted to understand him anyway. It was definitely too much work to try and understand an illusionist’s mind. 

With an annoyed frown, the brunette moved to sit back in front of Hibari to continue feeding him. There was not much else left on the tray, just a glass of milk to drink. This was mainly because Ono-senpai had told them not to feed the prisoner anything else since the redhead was put off he couldn’t feed him himself. 

“I don’t get what’s so special about you.” Youta sighed as pressed the glass against the other’s lips. “Everyone’s obsessed with you, even Boss.” 

Hibari didn't look at Youta at all while he ate. At least this one was silent. He could handle this. He drank the milk, careful not to spill any on his uniform before licking his lips a bit when he finished. Hearing this bit of information was quite useful. "Who is your boss?" 

Youta raised an unimpressed brow and said nothing. He put the glass down on the tray and moved to stand up. “I don’t think Ono-senpai will stop by today.” He shrugged. “Dunno who’s coming in later for you but it’s certainly not going to be me,” he told him and hoped that he was actually right. 

Hibari was slightly pleased at this, but he didn't let it show. Though, he didn't like that his question was being ignored. "I asked you something. Who is your boss? What does he want from me?" He figured he could get some answers a lot easier out of this boy than from Ono. It was his last chance before Ono returned the next day. 

Youta gave the prisoner a flat stare. “I,” he began rather pointedly, his mouth turning downward in annoyance, “am not your friend,” he told him before rather lazily kicking the other’s leg. It was really more of a nudge than anything. “You,” he continued in that same patient tone that one used then speaking to a particularly dumb child, “are our prisoner,” he finished with an exasperated sigh, before turning away from the prefect and out of the cell. It was obvious that nothing more needed to be said on the matter. 

Hibari narrowed his eyes and he glared at Youta as he left. He knew that had to have been too easy to work. Hibari waited until Youta was gone before he sighed, leaning back against the wall with a frown. It was then that Hibari started to grasp that things were more complicated than he had first thought. He frowned. He didn't like being kept out of the loop like this. Especially when it involved him so greatly.

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, in a different room in the underground base, Masaru looked deeply irritated as he heard exactly what had happened to the Vongola Cloud Ring. 

“Hey, you guys told me that thing was useless to us,” Ono protested, immediately defensive. 

Minato stood at Masaru's side, not looking as displeased as Masaru did. In fact, he had on a small, barely noticeable, smile. "But the Boss didn't tell you to get rid of it, did he?" he questioned, his voice keeping its light and airy tone. 

Ono’s eyes narrowed slightly in his direction. “If I recall correctly, _Mina-chan_ ,” Ono practically spoke through gritted teeth, “you were the one who told me to do ‘whatever I wanted’ with it.” He gave his fellow Guardian his biggest most insincere smile.  

Minato's expression didn't falter an inch. "But I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to give it back to the Vongola," he said simply. "I suppose I gave you too much credit." 

Ono’s smile strained wider and his fingers twitched for his swords. 

“Enough.” Masaru spoke up before his Storm Guardian decided to redecorate his office again. He let out a deep, deep sigh as he leaned back on his chair and rubbed his gloved hand over his forehead. It was obvious he was thinking about something. 

Ono bit his lip for a second before letting out a sigh of his own and relaxing his tensed body. So far Boss hadn’t made a move to physically reprimand him which meant he was mostly off the hook. 

A moment passed. Masaru opened his eyes again and frowned. “I suppose it really doesn’t matter that it’s gone since we planned to get all of the rings from them in the end. However,” Masaru shot his subordinate a glare, “I don’t know what on earth possessed you to send that back. What if they decide to hide it now that they know they’re in danger? Or worse, recruit someone else?” He let that statement sink into the redhead’s brain for a moment, watching in satisfaction as Ono ducked his head in guilt. He then turned to look at Minato with one of his rare, questioning expressions. “I gave _you_ the ring,” was all he said. 

Minato fell silent at Masaru's words and listened to him. The smile didn't grow or shrink as Ono got scolded, nor when he did as well. He kneeled down next to Masaru and took his gloved hand, kissing his ring that lay atop the cloth. "Forgive me, Boss. I should have been smarter than to entrust such an important object to Ono-kun." 

Ono’s eyes darted back to stare at the blonde and he felt his stomach clench in anger at the sight before him. Outwardly, he snorted in derision at Minato’s display. “ _I’m_ sorry, Boss. Mina-chan should’ve just told me in the first place that he wanted to cause problems for us. He clearly gave me that ring knowing that I would pull something like this. I mean, seriously. Why else would your dear right-hand man part with a gift from you, Boss?” He flashed the blonde a sharp, vicious smile. 

"Thank you for confirming your stupidity for me, Ono-kun." Once again, Minato's facial expression didn't flinch. He stayed kneeled at Masaru's side and simply smiled pleasantly at Ono. 

Ono’s own smile was undoubtedly becoming more and more strained. His fingers were definitely reaching for his swords now… 

Masaru stared up at his ceiling with a long accustomed patient expression. His gloved hand moved to rest on top of Minato’s head, putting a slight pressure on it that would make his right-hand man look down at the floor. His nails dug slightly into the other’s scalp. At the same time, he shifted his gaze to stare flatly at Ono. More specifically at Ono’s fingers. 

The redhead immediately stopped and swallowed at the intensity of his boss’ stare. It took him a moment to loosen his shoulders and put on a carefree smile. 

“Alright, alright, I get it, Boss. I fucked up. Sooorry. Not like it’ll matter anyway.” The redhead shrugged unabashed. “Can I go now? Mr. Prefect’s bound to be hungry, you know. We don’t want him starving and whatnot, right?” He flashed them a perfectly innocent grin, not mentioning the fact that he might have forgotten to send a second meal last night after he had left. 

Minato didn't move his head from the position Masaru placed it in. He smiled a bit wider at the touch of his Boss' hand but was slightly amused by Ono's words. "Youta-kun fed him lunch," he said. "Though he mentioned to me that he saw old food all over the floor of the cell." 

Ono didn’t bat an eyelash. “Did he now?” he asked blithely. “That’s a shame, I supposed I’ll just have to stop by another time. I’m afraid he’ll think I’ve gotten bored of him otherwise.” The redhead pointedly ignored Minato’s latter comment. Instead, he turned and moved to exit the room. 

Minato just smiled, the hand on his head preventing him from making any more biting comments. After Ono left, he lifted his head ever so slightly in order to look at his boss. "Is there anything you'd like me to do?" 

Masaru’s tolerant expression fell off his face and his lips fell into a frown at those words. His hand absently slid off of Minato’s head, down his hair, before coming back to rest on the armrest of his chair. “I want that ring back,” was all he said, because for some inexplicable reason, he felt very uneasy about the fact that it was no longer in their possession.  

Minato smiled at Masaru's touch and he looked up at his boss. "Then I will locate it for you," he said, smiling brighter than before. "Are there any special requests you have? Or shall I retrieve it at all costs?" 

Masaru paused for a second before smiling very thinly as he thought of how the Vongola would take the surprise encounter. “Don’t hold back,” he instructed, and immediately felt more at ease. Because if there was anyone that could get a job done, it was Minato. 

Minato opened his eyes then, his blue eyes twinkling quite viciously over the pleased smile. "Yes, Boss. As you wish."

 

* * *

 

Irie Shoichi was not having a good day. 

In fact, this could possibly be the second worst day of his admittedly young life. (And let’s not talk about his worst day. He was still trying to eradicate the Bovino Incident from his mind, no matter how hard it was thanks to the daunting box currently residing at the top of his closet.) 

But why was it exactly that today was such a bad day? Well, it was the combination of a lot of things really. 

First, after Shoichi had woken up and headed to school, a swarm ( _swarm!_ ) of bees had suddenly flown past him and attached themselves to a familiar-looking baby’s face. Then, because he suddenly felt a rush of forbidden memories about to surface, Shoichi had run off, only to stumble upon this humongous-massive-looking guy wearing an intimidating trench coat. The man had had _spears_ coming out from his back. 

Needless to say Shoichi had run away faster. Not to mention farther. 

However, in his rush and fear, he managed to run past Yumei Private Middle School and had somehow ended up in the depths of Namimori Forest. Then, amidst his massive stomachache and rising panic, Shoichi had the unfortunate realization that he was also missing his cell phone. 

Clearly the world was out to get him. To his additional horror, in an attempt to return back to town, Shoichi had stumbled upon a good share of poisonous snakes, not to mention _bears_. Thankfully, just when he was beginning to lose hope, not to mention a good share of his vitality, he managed to hear—strangely enough—a pair of voices that mostly consisted of enthusiastic yells. They sounded quite nearby, however, Shoichi didn’t have much time to investigate that because between the bears and the sudden explosions coming from the direction of the voices, Shoichi had whimpered in despair and had taken off once more in hopes to find some semblance of civilization. 

Unfortunately, he managed to fall into a river in the process. Somehow. 

When he was finally able to get out, he was drenched, miserable, and lost. By the time he collapsed tiredly, he had somehow ended up at the top of Namimori Mountain. 

“Stupid, stupid bees,” he groaned miserably as he felt his stomachache return with a menace. He should’ve known better than to get out of bed that morning. 

Spanner was 100% completely absorbed in his laptop. He had figured out a way to fix the X-Burner, but now it was about getting the theory into programming. The earlier reading he had gotten of 100,000 Fiamma Volts couldn’t be the Vongola’s limit. The boy knew his attack wasn’t stable, so it was natural he’d hold back the power. 

It was safe to assume that he could double it to 200,000 Fiamma Volts and be fine. Though perhaps Spanner should triple it, just in case. 

While the blonde worked, Mini Mosca was doing a few things of his own. The small robot had set up a short wooden table for Spanner to put his laptop on. Next to the computer, Mini Mosca put down a bowl of popcorn which Spanner was absentmindedly munching on around his lollipop. Along with that, he finished heating up some green tea which happened to be Spanner’s favorite; probably because it was Japanese. 

And, though while Spanner didn’t notice the redhead scale the mountain, Mini Mosca did. Immediately, the little robot whirred before moving over, dipping into his hospitable programming as he offered the newcomer a cup of tea. 

It had taken a couple of seconds before Shoichi took notice of the little robot, mainly because he was cringing around his stomachache and hoping it would subside. However, upon setting his eyes on the machine, Shoichi shrieked and scrambled back and away from it, cringing in fear. He put his arms in front of himself as if to avoid an impending attack. 

And waited. 

There was a moment of silence and lack of movement in which Shoichi hesitantly opened his eyes to stare at the robot. And then at the tea. 

“I-is that for me…?” he asked hesitantly, looking at the robot wearily. 

The Mini Mosca looked at the redhead for a moment before shuffling closer and beeping in affirmation. He put the cup down in front of Shoichi before returning to his master's side. 

Spanner was still oblivious to Shoichi’s presence as he worked on the programming. _Once I finish the software, I’ll have to go shopping for supplies..._ the blonde mechanic thought. 

Shoichi eyed the cup left on the ground for a brief second before looking back at the moving robot. His eyes followed the robot’s destination, and it made Shoichi realize that there was someone other than him in this mountain. It was a blonde boy around his age. He was staring intently into an expensive-looking laptop and looked very out of place amidst the ruins of the mountain. (Shoichi wondered then what exactly could’ve caused this insane amount of damage, before remembering that he was really best off not knowing.) The blonde teen looked like he was completely into what he was doing because he had yet to say a word. Shoichi wondered if the other had even noticed him. 

A slight wind decided to pick up then and it made Shoichi shiver as he remembered that his clothes were still soaking wet. He eyed the warm cup of tea in front of him once more. It looked like it was green tea. He found this strange since the blonde teen didn’t look particularly Japanese, but Shoichi wasn’t about to complain. He picked up the cup and drank, already beginning to feel warmer. 

“Um, thank you for this…” Shoichi called out hesitantly to the pair as he clutched the cup tighter. He wondered if it was alright to approach them. 

Spanner showed no reaction to the redhead’s words, but after a moment, Mini Mosca began tapping the blonde's shoulder. Even that took a few tries before Spanner reluctantly looked away from his laptop screen to look at the robot. "What is it, Mini Mosca?" he asked softly. 

The small robot pointed at the redhead. Spanner looked to where the other was pointing and blinked. He was genuinely shocked to see someone there. 

"Who are you?" Spanner asked, holding on to his lollipop as he spoke. "And why are you wet?" 

Shoichi was startled at having startled the other, and then he shivered slightly at the reminder of his wet clothes. “I’m Irie Shoichi, sorry for intruding,” he introduced himself politely, half-bowing. He hoped he didn’t look as miserably discomforted as he felt. “I feel into a river a little while ago and then ended up here somehow,” he explained with a despondent sigh before mustering up a weak smile as he brought up his cup. “Thanks for the tea… Um, that’s a really cool robot you have,” he added, because it was the truth. He had never seen a machine like that before. So small yet so useful. He wondered where the other had gotten it. 

"Hm." Spanner looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He recalled how far away the mountain was from the town and wondered how exactly the redhead had just... ended up here. "My name is Spanner," he said, bowing his head as he introduced himself, before smiling fondly in the direction of his Mini Mosca. "Yeah. He used to be a lot bigger. About ten times the size. But he got really wrecked up and there weren’t enough parts to build him so big again. So I made him smaller." Spanner’s gaze turned back to the other again. "His name is Mini Mosca," he said, and at this, the small robot gave an introductory bow as well as a small beep. 

Shoichi’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe that such a machine used to be big! Not to mention the blonde, Spanner, had said that he had built him! “Wow…” Shoichi gaped, impressed at the other. “That’s amazing! This kind of technology is incredibly advanced!” The redhead couldn’t believe it. He could tell with just a short glance that there had been a lot of work put into building the little robot. “It must’ve been an amazing robot before…” he mused quietly to himself and began wondering how exactly the robot had been made. He was pretty interested in robotics himself and had read some books on it in the past. 

Spanner smiled a bit brighter at the praise. Between his boss as well as the rest of the Varia, Spanner didn't receive much praise at all. No one cared or really appreciated all the time, work, and effort it took to do what he did. To take something so huge that had been wrecked, and then shrink it… It had been hard and no one had really cared. So it wasn't surprising when Spanner took an immediate liking to the redhead boy in front of him. 

"He really was," Spanner said, before turning to the laptop again and beckoning Shoichi over. He pulled up the old blueprints of the full-sized Gola Mosca and fondly patted Mini Mosca's head. "Though I bet the robotics here in Japan are pretty amazing as well." Spanner's eyes nearly sparkled at this. It was one of the reasons he wanted to come to Japan. The other reason being that Xanxus forced him to come anyway. 

Shoichi’s eyes widened in awe and fascination as he glanced over the blueprints. This was incredible! He had never seen this kind of technology before! “Deathperation Flames…?” Shoichi scrunched up his forehead in thought, wondering what that was.

Spanner nodded, turning the lollipop in his mouth. "It’s the power source," he explained, before looking at the redhead. "Ah, but you wouldn't know what Deathperation Flames are," he said, slightly disappointed. "It’s really useful. Discovered not too long ago." 

“A-ah, I see.” Shoichi nodded a bit distractedly, his eyes still intent on the monitor. This was really incredible… It made his interest in robotics rise again. Over the past year, Shoichi had become more focused on music and was learning how to play the guitar, but at the moment, he couldn’t remember why that even seemed important anymore. His mind was quickly shifting back through all the knowledge he had obtained on this field. 

“This... Wouldn’t it be better for this to cross over here?” Shoichi murmured softly to himself as examined something that looked off in the blueprints. 

Spanner looked at Shoichi in slight shock before he turned back to the monitor to see what Shoichi was talking about. After inspecting it for a moment, Spanner's eyes widened. "That... would make it so much more efficient..." he muttered in thought. “I can't believe I didn't think of that.” He began typing furiously on his computer, inputting the new information and changing the blueprints. The result _did_ make it run better in the computer program. To apply it would save so much energy. Spanner's eyes nearly shined as he looked back at Shoichi with a new light. "You're really smart! I guess an outsider's perspective is always good." 

Shoichi’s eyes widened and his face flushed brightly at this. He hadn’t even meant to say that out loud! When the other began typing into his computer, he felt completely mortified for having pointed something like that out so unthinkingly. He tried to protest—because it’s not like he was an expert on this or anything—but the other’s compliment left him speechless. “Um, but I—um, you’re welcome?” he stammered out in embarrassement and looked down at his lap, the jerking motion causing his glasses to slid down the bridge of his nose. 

Spanner smiled around his lollipop. He had definitely found someone interesting. He took another look at Shoichi. A closer look. He looked pretty insecure. Jumpy. But it was at the closer look that Spanner remembered that Shoichi was still soaking wet. "Hey. Maybe you should get home. You're going to catch a cold if you stay like that," he said, slightly concerned. 

Shoichi blinked at the reminder. He had been wet for so long already that he had gotten used to the feeling. But the other did have a point. The only problem was… 

“Ugh, but I have no idea how the heck to get back home.” The redhead sighed and fixed up his glasses before running a hand through his drying hair. Shoichi looked down the tall cliff in despair. How in the world had he gotten all the way up this mountain? And he was going to get marked as absent from school now… 

 _Stupid, stupid bees!_ Shoichi thought with a grimace. 

Spanner glanced at Mini Mosca before nodding decisively. He closed up his laptop, and as he did, Mini Mosca began to clean everything up. He folded up the table and put it, as well as the computer, away into a compartment. Spanner stood and reached out to the redhead, offering to help Shoichi to his feet as the small robot put away the tea set as well. "Mini Mosca has a GPS system. He can lead us back," he said, trying to sound reassuring. 

Shoichi’s eyes widened at this announcement and he looked up at the other with tearful appreciation. “You’re a lifesaver, Spanner-san!” He smiled gratefully as he took the hand and got up to his feet. “Thank you very much!” He bowed to the other before biting at his lip in embarrassment. “I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble, Spanner-san. I interrupted your work and everything…” 

"It’s okay." Spanner waved him off easily and tried to reassure him. "I was going to go into town soon anyway. I have a bit of shopping to do,” he said. Mini Mosca began leading them down the mountain. "Oh," Spanner spoke again as they began to head down the mountain. He gave the redhead a sideway glance and a warm smile. "And you can just call me Spanner. I don't mind." 

Shoichi smiled back at the blonde a little shyly. “You can call me Shoichi if you want as well, ah, um, Spanner.” The redhead stammered a bit as he looked down at the ground. He really was very lucky to have met Spanner today. He dreaded to think where he would have ended up or how he would have gotten back home otherwise. He’d have to think of some way to make it up to him for inconveniencing him. 

Spanner smiled happily. "Alright. Shoichi." He actually made friends with a real Japanese person! And he knew about robotics! This had to be fate! 

Mini Mosca lead them down the mountain and through the quickest and easiest path back to Namimori. "Here we are," Spanner said as they arrived at the edge of town. He tossed the bare lollipop stick into a nearby public trashcan before looking at Shoichi. "Are you alright from here?" he asked, wondering if the redhead was going to get lost again... 

Shoichi let out a relieved sigh once they got into town. Finally, back to familiar surroundings! “This is perfect!” he exclaimed happily. “My house is pretty close by. Thanks again, Spanner!” The redhead smiled at him gratefully. 

But after a moment, the smile faltered slightly, turning hesitant and shy once more. “Um, if you’re not too busy, you should drop by whenever you have the time,” Shoichi told the other, avoiding looking at his eyes. “I can give you my address. You don’t have to come, of course, but I’d like to thank you properly for all of this. And it would be nice to see Mini Mosca again. And you too of course,” the redhead began to ramble, but cut himself off upon noticing that fact. The truth was that he thought Spanner was pretty interesting, not to mention smart. He hadn’t met anyone like him before and couldn’t help but to be interested. 

Shoichi wanted to see him again. But he doubted the other had the time… Spanner probably wasn’t even staying in Japan for that long. Shoichi was beginning to regret opening his mouth. Here he was, inconveniencing the other again. “Just, you know, if you want,” he ended up mumbling in the end. 

Mini Mosca was handing Spanner a new lollipop when Shoichi began to speak. Spanner put the strawberry candy into his mouth as he listened to the other ramble. He smiled. "Of course I want to. That sounds great." He patted the little robot's head. "Just tell Mini Mosca and he'll remember the address." He nodded proudly. He didn't mind the rambling, really. It was actually sort of endearing. Spanner was used to being around people that would do nothing but order him around, yell at him, and throw things at him. Talking to someone who was actually normal was like a breath of fresh air. 

Shoichi glanced up, a bit surprised at the candid admission. He smiled, feeling his nervousness ebb away. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around then.” Shoichi told the robot his address, before glancing back up at the blonde. “Good luck with your shopping!” he said, before turning to leave. But as he walked towards his house, he began to sneeze. After being with wet clothes all this time… Shoichi was probably going to get a cold. But somehow, he didn’t really mind this at all. Despite the fact that his morning had been nothing short of awful, Shoichi was glad he had been able to meet Spanner. 

Mini Mosca was at Shoichi's side in a second, holding out a tissue with a small beep, which the redhead took with a sheepish smile. Spanner smiled and waved, the small robot returning to the blonde when his deed was done. "See you. It was nice meeting you, Shoichi," he said, before he headed off down the road towards the shopping district, Mini Mosca following behind.

 


	22. Target 21: The Warning

* * *

**DAY FOUR**

* * *

 

 _Ugh_ , was Gokudera’s first thought as soon as he woke up. He had an earsplitting headache. His arms stung. As did his legs. In fact, there wasn’t much of him that didn’t. Most of his body was littered with cuts and bruises from yesterday’s intense training. Both Fon and Bel had ganged up on him like a pair of bloody hyenas and had left him aching in places he didn’t even know could ache. 

The knowledge that this was all going to get worse before it got better did not encourage him to get out of bed. 

However, the knowledge that this was all for the Tenth’s sake, did. 

With a muted groan, Gokudera slid off his bed and winced as some of his loose bandages slid off, rubbing against the open skin of his wounds. He was going to have to redress those. 

 _After showering_ , Gokudera reminded himself disjointedly as he shuffled out of his room. _After some coffee,_ the smoker prioritized with a weary sigh, running a tired hand through his messy hair. 

Gokudera got ready that morning on automatic. He fed both Uri and himself, half-heartedly cleaning up some of the mess in his house while mentally going over yesterday’s training. Fon was a brutal and strict teacher, while the knife-bastard was just plain sadistic. Together they were intensely terrifying. _At least they were effective_ , Gokudera admitted to himself with a grudging scowl. 

He was learning more things than he had ever expected. He had always been used to following his instincts during battle, applying only the tactics that had been taught to him by the quack, as well as the things that he had taken his time to read on. But there was something about having a formal instructor that made everything much better. With Fon correcting his footwork as well as teaching him some elementary martial arts, and Bel, at times reluctantly but mostly sadistically, instructing him in the fine art of using wires, Gokudera felt confident about the upcoming battles. 

 _At least if they don’t end up killing me first,_ Gokudera thought with a wry snort as he finished getting ready and began heading out the door. 

He took out his phone then, routinely beginning to text the Tenth a good morning and then moving to contact the rest of the team—just to make sure everyone was still alright. With things as they were… it was better to be safe than sorry. 

"Ah, there you are," a voice called out as Gokudera trudged down the street. Ahead of him, Hasegawa Minato sat on the wall beside the sidewalk. In his hand was a long Naginata. "I've been looking for you since yesterday, Haya-kun." Minato smiled and hopped off the wall. He stood there like he was greeting a long lost friend. 

It had taken too long to find the Cloud Ring. His Boss should have had it in his hand last night. 

Gokudera instantly went into defensive. “Who the hell are you?” he growled, stopping right in his tracks as he narrowed his eyes in the direction of the blonde-haired man. More specifically, in the direction of the weapon. His hands twitched towards his bombs. 

Minato smiled and he gave a small, lighthearted chuckle. "I am Hasegawa Minato. The right-hand man of the Vendetta Family. But don't worry, Haya-kun." He smiled a bit wider and held out his free hand. "As long as you hand over the Vongola Cloud Ring without a fuss, I won't hurt you." 

 _The Vendetta Family!_ Gokudera tensed further, although he had already suspected as much. Truth be told, he had had a small feeling that they might run into them earlier than expected. Like most enemies of the Vongola, they never could resist confronting them ahead of time. _I’ll make sure the bastards regret even thinking of messing with us,_ Gokudera vowed as he began to discreetly survey his surroundings, making sure there wasn’t anyone else around. 

“And here I thought you bastards were smart.” He sneered in the direction of the blonde in the meanwhile. “Did you not get the memo? I’m the _Storm_ Guardian. Why the hell would I have a Cloud Ring in my possession, idiot?” Gokudera scoffed, inwardly glad that he had decided not to wear all of his rings in public. They were currently stashed away in his pockets, and he had no intention of revealing that to the blonde. 

Minato looked at him before laughing. "You really think I'm that stupid?" he asked with a pleasant smile. "We have an information network bigger than you can imagine." As he looked at the silver-haired teenager, Minato’s smile slowly turned malicious. "Gokudera Hayato. You came here from Italy not too long ago and proclaimed yourself the right-hand man of Sawada Tsunayoshi, the Tenth Vongola boss. We watched you as you discovered the fact that you have five flames, one of which is the Cloud Flame. We have assassins and informants placed all over Namimori, many of which are centered around Sawada Tsunayoshi's home. We know everything about you. Now stop playing dumb and hand over the Vongola Cloud Ring." Minato chuckled slightly, his smile returning to normal. "Or I might just have to kill you." 

For a slight wavering second, Gokudera panicked. One thing he knew from experience was that information was power. And right now, the blonde bastard was holding all the cards, leaving the silver-haired teen defenseless and without any backup. _If they know this, they must know everything,_ Gokudera thought with heavy dread. _Is everything we’re doing all for nothing?_ Gokudera wondered, his confidence dropping for a second before he steeled himself. 

 _No_ , he reminded himself. _Even if we can’t catch them by surprise, we can still overpower them._  

With that thought, Gokudera quickly jumped back and launched his bombs forward swiftly. “If you really know everything about us then you should know that there’s no way I’ll hand over the ring to you willingly!” he snapped. 

Minato's movements were a blur. In a flash, the bombs Gokudera had thrown were suddenly smothered in blue flames. They slowed down to a halt, frozen in midair a mere foot in front of Minato. The Naginata was engulfed in Rain Flames. Minato was still smiling. "Of course." The blonde stepped around the frozen bombs and gave a small chuckle. "I would have underestimated you if I didn't expect a fight. But I don't expect a challenge." He rushed forward, holding his Naginata backwards, hitting Gokudera with the handle instead of the blade. As soon as he struck, small tufts of blue Rain Flames attached themselves to Gokudera's arms. 

For the second time that day, Gokudera was caught off-guard by this guy. As soon as he saw his bombs freeze in midair, the silver-haired teen quickly began to jump back, careful to avoid the blonde’s quick hits, although he only managed to avoid the second one. An icy cold feeling began spreading through his right arm then, making him hiss in discomfort. _What the hell?_ Gokudera tried to move his arm, but it felt numb and refused to respond. 

“Bastard!” Gokudera hissed out as he quickly began to assemble and discard possible tactics to execute. This definitely wasn’t looking good. Considering his current state as well as the knowledge that he was currently being overpowered, Gokudera thought his best option was retreat. 

 _But I can’t go back empty-handed!_ Gokudera thought stubbornly as his left hand twitched for another set of bombs. He was confident he could escape with the Cloud Ring still in his grasp, but the thought of running away without anything useful to report back didn’t sit well with him. 

 _Best to draw this out as much as I can,_ Gokudera decided as he launched his next attack. He already knew they would be frozen, but perhaps his smaller set would be able to defuse faster. At the very least, it would give him a better estimate of the other’s speed. “Why the hell do you want the ring back, huh? If you’re so confident you can defeat us, another ring in our possession shouldn’t be a problem.” Gokudera made sure to keep out of the blonde's range as he sneered at the other, wanting to keep him talking. Perhaps he would reveal something useful. 

Minato froze this next set of bombs as well. The first set of bombs finally began to explode behind him, though at an extremely slow pace. The blonde laughed slightly, sidestepping these bombs as well. He continued to approach Gokudera, this time aiming to hit his legs. "You should know better, Haya-kun." He smiled as he swung the handle of the Naginata dangerously close. "A right-hand man never questions his orders. He simply does. I live for my Boss." He jumped towards him, grabbing Gokudera's shirt and shoving him against the wall. "And I will never make such petty mistakes that could compromise my Boss' plans. My Boss wants the ring, so I will retrieve it for him." Minato smiled brightly. "It’s as simple as that." He kicked Gokudera to the side. 

Gokudera jumped in time to avoid the strike at his legs, but this delay allowed him to react much too slow for the blonde’s next assault. He grunted painfully as he hit the wall hard, his injuries from yesterday beginning to scream in protest at the manhandling. Still, Gokudera wouldn’t give the other the satisfaction of showing him his pain. Not even as he crashed painfully to the floor at the kick. “Your Boss must not be very smart though,” Gokudera hissed as he struggled back to his feet, glaring. “First he gives us the ring, and now he wants it back. Seems to me like he can’t make up his mind with what he wants.” He sneered while eyeing the other warily, knowing it was in his best interest to move in the defensive at the moment. 

At Gokudera's words, all of the pleasantries seemed to leave Minato's eyes in an instant. Minato simply rushed forward and delivered a hard strike to Gokudera's chest. He brought the bomb user to the floor and the handle of the Naginata pressed up against Gokudera's throat. Gokudera gasped painfully. Minato looked down, unemotionally, at the young teen, who twitched under him as he struggled to breathe. "It’s a shame," Minato said softly. He ground the heel of his shoe against a bandaged wound on Gokudera's arm. "It would be such a waste to kill you now." He crouched down, holding the weapon now horizontally on Gokudera's neck. The Rain Flames began to slow the boy's breathing. Slow it down enough so that Minato could search his pockets without a fuss. The blonde pulled out the four rings from Gokudera’s pocket and tossed three on the floor, keeping the Vongola Cloud Ring in his hand. 

"Here we are." The smile returned and Minato stood. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" The blonde then slammed his foot down on the wound with particular viciousness before he jumped on to the wall, and then across the roofs. He was gone within seconds.

Gokudera let out a silent scream as his face crumpled in agony. His wounds throbbed painfully at the strain the fight had put them through, and the blonde’s vicious attacks had him shaking from all the pain. For what seemed like forever, Gokudera just lay there as he struggled to regain his breath, his wounds aching. A couple of fresh ones had reopened and were bleeding through his bandages, though he wasn’t in too bad a state. The pain of the aftermath overwhelmed him; his frustration, along with an intense feeling of failure, even more so. It took a more than a few minutes for him to regain his bearings. The feeling of his right arm had finally returned, though it could not stop trembling. And it was at that moment that he finally became aware of something. 

His phone was ringing. It was Tsuna calling for the third time. 

“Shit,” Gokudera murmured with a wince as he carefully reached for his phone. His boss was most likely panicking at the fact that Gokudera had not answered. What he was going to have to report wasn’t going to make him feel any better, Gokudera thought with a guilt frown. 

“T-tenth?” Gokudera finally answered, his voice gruff. His throat still felt funny from the blonde’s stupid Rain attack and his hands wouldn’t stop shaking. 

Tsuna felt an immediate surge of relief when Gokudera finally answered his phone. Usually the other would respond to his texts and calls within seconds, and when he hadn't, Tsuna had begun to get worried. It seemed that the worry was well-founded. "Gokudera-kun?" Tsuna frowned. "What happened? You don't sound so good..." The concern and panic began to bubble up in Tsuna's chest again. 

“I…” It took a second for Gokudera to gather his words. “T-Tenth! I’m sorry!” he exclaimed loudly into his phone, hissing a bit as his shoulder jarred against the floor once he struggled to sit up. He bit his lip in frustration. “The Vendetta ambushed me this morning and took Hibari’s ring. I couldn’t stop him.” Gokudera growled angrily, his fury mostly directed at himself more than anyone else. 

Tsuna's eyes widened and he gripped the phone. "Wh-What?! Gokudera-kun, are you okay?!" He grabbed his jacket. "Please try not to move! Tell me where you are!" he said, hurrying out of his room and down the stairs. The ring was in the back of his mind. All that mattered to Tsuna right now was Gokudera's wellbeing. 

“I-I’m fine, Tenth,” Gokudera assured his boss, although his gruff voice was telling. He scowled and tried to clear his throat, but that just seemed to make it worse. “I’m only a couple of blocks away from my house. I was on my way to train,” he revealed to the other grudgingly, knowing that his boss would want to come check up on him. Gokudera wished he wouldn’t though. He hated looking weak, especially in front of the Tenth. 

Tsuna nodded and hurried down the sidewalk towards Gokudera's apartment. "I'm on my way. Please stay where you are, Gokudera-kun," he said before hanging up. After stuffing his phone into his pocket, the brunette hurried off. He bit his lip and hoped Gokudera didn't try to move too much.

 

* * *

 

Minato was in good spirits when he approached the Boss' office. He knocked on the door, the Vongola Cloud Ring firmly in his grip. 

“Enter.” Masaru’s voice called out from behind the door. The Vendetta boss was currently overlooking the latest reports of the Vongola’s activities. 

Minato walked in and closed the door behind him before bowing. He walked over, and with a bright smile, he placed the Vongola Cloud Ring on the desk. "All done, Boss." 

Masaru looked up from his papers and glanced at the ring before gazing up at his subordinate. His lips quirked into a satisfied smirk at the news. He hadn’t expected any less from his right-hand man. 

“Well done,” Masaru murmured, looking pleased as he reached over to grab the Cloud Ring. It felt good to be in possession of this again. Not that he planned to put it to any use, no. It was a known fact that the Vongola Rings only worked for those of the Vongola lineage. They would never turn against their masters. 

But Masaru had not wanted the ring for his own use. It was the news of the Vongola’s Storm Guardian’s compatibility with it that had made him wary. There was no need to give them an advantage and risk the fate of this entire operation. 

Minato smiled at the praise. "The Storm Guardian was barely any trouble," he said, wanting to reassure his boss. "He relies on brute strength and I took him down in less than five minutes." He kneeled next to Masaru's chair. "And without the Cloud ring, it will be even more difficult for them to succeed. You needn't worry, Boss." 

Masaru smiled wryly at his right-hand man’s words. “You know very well that I can’t help but to worry. Even if there is little to be concerned of.” But the blue-haired man acquiesced the other by letting himself relax, his shoulders slumping slightly as he moved to stash away the ring in one of the drawers of his desk. 

"I understand," Minato said as he opened the drawer for Masaru before closing it for him as well. He kissed Masaru's ring before standing again. "You have my word, Boss. As your right-hand man, I'll make sure to erase any need for concern or worry."    

Masaru’s smile turned indulging at the blonde’s words. “I know you will,” he murmured in agreement as he moved to lean back on his chair. His gloved hands splayed against the contours of his desk then, and Masaru’s eyes were drawn to the ring on his finger. He had a thoughtful frown on his face. 

“In that case, there is one more thing I would like you to do, Minato,” he murmured lowly, his lips thinning into a cold smile. 

Minato's smile grew a bit as he heard Masaru speak. Another mission for him to succeed in. Another mission after which the boss would give him that smile, and praise him again. "Anything, Boss," he said with a bow. "What is it?" He tried his best to hide the eagerness from his voice. 

Masaru’s eyes glinted darkly as he spoke. “Let’s ensure that the Vongola doesn’t think about recompensing for their losses. I fear that they will attempt to retrieve even more rings to make up for today.” Masaru said nothing more than that, leaving it up to the blonde to decide what action to take from here. He had confidence that Minato would accomplish what he desired. 

Minato smiled brightly. "Yes, Boss. I think I have something in mind," he said. And after kissing Masaru's ring once more, he turned to the door. "Leave it to me."

 

* * *

 

Tsuna broke into a run when he saw Gokudera on the sidewalk. "Gokudera-kun!" He quickly kneeled at his side. "Gokudera-kun, can you stand? C-come on… We can go back to your apartment!" Panic and worry filled his mind as he saw how worn and injured Gokudera was. 

Upon hearing the Tenth’s voice, Gokudera looked up from the wall he was leaning up against. “Tenth!” he called out to him, and upon noting the other’s frantic expression, his own turned immensely guilty. “Don’t worry about me, Tenth. I’m fine, really!” he assured him. And he was, for the most part. The blonde had been playing with him, Gokudera knew. He hadn’t injured Gokudera much, aside from his shoulder. Even though some of his wounds had reopened, most of the other’s attacks had just immobilized him, and by now, Gokudera had regained the use of his frozen limbs, throat included. 

The only thing that hadn’t come unscathed had been his pride. 

 _Damn bastard_ , Gokudera thought furiously. Not only had he lost Hibari’s ring, but he had been drastically overpowered by the enemy. Gokudera wasn’t going to forget this failure in a long while. 

He certainly looked much better than he had sounded over the phone, and for that, Tsuna was greatly relieved. He reached over to take Gokudera's hand. "Come on, I'll help you back to your place," he said softly, helping Gokudera to his feet before grabbing the fallen rings and giving them back to him. The Vendetta had made their first move and Tsuna realized that it could have been a lot worse than what it was. Gokudera had fared well but he wondered exactly how much power this person had used. Gokudera had been out of contact for ten minutes at the most. What kind of people were they facing? 

Gokudera hid a wince as he stood, the motion having jarred his injured shoulder. But at the Tenth’s words, he couldn’t help but to grimace. He had no intention of going home to rest, not after having been so brutally defeated. 

Tsuna looked at Gokudera when he grimaced. "Gokudera-kun, I-” 

"Idiot Tsuna!" 

Tsuna suddenly lurched forward as Reborn kicked him in the back of the head. The Arcobaleno opted for a second kick, this time on the cheek, which sent the young brunette straight to the floor. "R-REBORN! What was that for!?" Tsuna had a hand on his cheek as he yelled at his home tutor who was standing on his knee. 

Reborn slapped Tsuna across the face. "Gokudera just got ambushed by a Vendetta member and your first action is to run out to where he is? What if it had been a trap? Need I remind you who the real target is here?!" The Arcobaleno spoke sternly, glaring at Tsuna who now looked guilty. 

"I…" Tsuna stuttered meekly. 

Reborn looked at Gokudera then. He had a look of disapproval on his face. "You lost the ring," he said simply. 

“Tenth!” Gokudera immediately cried out upon seeing Reborn assault the brunette. He moved swiftly to his boss’ side and frowned at his reddening cheek. But as Reborn turned to Gokudera himself, the silver-haired teen couldn’t help but to look down to the ground ashamed. 

“I did. I’m sorry, Reborn-san.” Gokudera curled his fist tightly and punched the wall beside him. “I wasn’t strong enough!” He cursed. 

"But… Reborn! It wasn't Gokudera's fault!" Tsuna looked at the Arcobaleno. "He was caught by surprise!" 

"Shut up, Tsuna." Reborn walked over and grabbed the front of Gokudera's shirt, roughly pulling him down to his level. They were so close together that only Gokudera could possibly hear Reborn's next words. 

"The ring was a fake," the Sun Arcobaleno whispered. "It’s not safe to talk about it here." He slipped something into Gokudera's jacket pocket before punching him in the face. 

"Reborn!" Tsuna cried out in protest. 

Gokudera’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly. The motion was mostly masked by the way his face crumpled in pain as he was pushed down to the ground by the force of the punch. 

 _The ring had been a fake? Reborn-san had expected this?_ Gokudera was filled with relief at these news, but he didn’t let it show as he got back up with his head bowed low. “No, it’s okay, Tenth,” he murmured, and it wasn’t hard to put on a sullen front. Even if the ring was still safe, Gokudera had been defeated. And… “Truthfully, I don’t think I would have won, even if I hadn’t been caught off-guard,” he confessed, grimacing as he moved to rub his right arm. What the blonde had done to it earlier had freaked him out more than he was willing to admit. Being immobile… It wasn’t an experience he wanted to face again. 

“That’s why… I can’t go home now!” he told his boss firmly. “Fon and that knife-bastard are waiting for me. I can’t afford to be lying around when I should be training!” Gokudera declared with a serious expression. 

“G-Gokudera-kun..." Tsuna looked at him with slightly wide eyes. He frowned then and took a quick look over Gokudera. If he was telling the truth, they all needed to work harder. "Y-you're right," he murmured softly. "I'm sorry for not thinking." He looked up at his right-hand man and nodded. "Please do your best." 

"Good. Now get out of here. You're wasting time," Reborn said, making a shooing motion with his hand as he stared at Gokudera. 

Gokudera avoided looking at Reborn’s eyes as he nodded. He didn’t want to give anything away, especially considering the blonde bastard had said that there were eyes on them at all times. 

“I’ll work hard to make up for this,” he vowed fervently, before bowing as well. “Tenth,” he then addressed his boss. “T-take care of yourself today.” He shot the other a hesitant smile before turning to leave. 

"You too, Gokudera-kun…" Tsuna said as he watched him go. Once he was out of sight, he sighed and let Reborn escort him off down the sidewalk. 

 

* * *

 

Belphegor was sitting on the branch of a tree, sharpening one of his knives in irritation. He looked around, and when he still didn't see the bomb brat around, he looked at Fon. "Hey. Can I go look for him now?" he asked impatiently. 

Fon, who was sitting Indian-style on top of a stump in the middle of the clearing, took a deep breath before answering the knife-user. “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet,” the martial artist said in a calm voice, before taking another breath and opening his eyes. He did not turn to look at the blonde; instead, he gazed patiently in the direction of the forest, as if waiting for someone to appear. 

Belphegor’s eyebrow twitched. "That doesn't even make any sense," he said with a small touch of annoyance to his voice as he flung his knife straight at the Storm Arcobaleno. It wouldn't hit; he knew this already. But he couldn't very well _not_ throw the knife, could he? 

Fon barely moved a centimeter to avoid the knife. His expression was completely calm as he dodged the blow. “The key to wisdom is knowing all the right questions,” he said to the knife-user, before finally standing up to jump down to the ground. 

A moment later, Gokudera appeared in the clearing. There was no apology forthcoming from his lips regarding his lateness. Instead, they were plagued with a pensive scowl. 

"Are you alright?" Fon asked the other calmly upon noticing the tense way the silver-haired teen was carrying himself. 

"You're late." Bel pulled out another knife and threw it straight at Gokudera, as he did every time the bomb user entered the clearing. "What took you so long? You shouldn't keep a prince waiting," he said, and after hopping down from the tree, he placed his hand on his hip and aimed a sharp grin at the other. 

Gokudera shrugged noncommittally in the direction of the Arcobaleno and easily blocked Bel’s knife. His scowl deepened at the attack although his eyes lost their distracted glaze as he turned to address his tutors. “Let’s get to work,” he announced curtly, his demeanor completely serious. Although he usually took his time to banter with the blonde, just looking at him was reminding him of his battle with that Vendetta guy. His hands twitched in irriataion for a second before he stilled himself. He tried not to look so outwardly agitated. 

Belphegor raised an eyebrow, though the gesture was hidden behind his hair. "Eh?" He walked over, retrieving the knife and twirling it in his fingers. He looked at Gokudera's face intently for several moments before grinning. "Shishishi~ You got your ass kicked, didn't you? Who should I be thanking?" He laughed again, obviously thinking it was hilarious. 

Gokudera’s eyes narrowed. He growled furiously, the jab having gotten to him. “Care to say that again, bastard?!” he snarled, and moved to fist the other’s shirt. 

Fon, however, stopped him. He sighed patiently, having grown entirely too used to this scenario. 

“I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday,” he told the Storm Guardian pointedly, reminding him well of their earlier training sessions. 

They had been, frankly, a waste of time. Although they had indeed gotten some training in, Gokudera and Bel had spent more time arguing than using their time constructively. Fon had been forced to end their sessions early—although admittedly, it _had_ allowed him to join the search for the Vendetta. 

Luckily, Gokudera appeared to have learned to control his temper a little better by the third day, since yesterday had been a success. 

Fon was not going to put up with them taking a step backwards however. He frowned disapprovingly. 

“Tch!” Gokudera let his hand fall, though he still glared in the direction of the knife-user. “Whatever. Can we get to it already? Or is ‘His Highness’ going to continue being a royal ass?” He sneered. 

Belphegor looked at Fon. At least these words were easier to understand than most of the crap that he spouted out. Seeing the bomb brat become so easily calm made Bel laugh again. "Alright, if you're so eager for another beating, sure. Let's train." He grinned. "You bring all your rings this time, kid?" 

“Are you blind as well as stupid?” Gokudera answered him with a sneer as he signaled to his hand, which displayed all his rings minus the Cloud one. He knew better than to be wearing that one in public now. 

"Oi, oi." Belphegor pulled out two knives and threw them. One on each side of Gokudera's head. There was a wire tied between them so as the knives buried themselves into the tree behind the bomb user, the near invisible wire went taut over Gokudera's neck, pulling him back against the bark. "Don't call me stupid. And where's the Cloud one?" 

Gokudera hissed as he felt the wire slice a thin cut at the base of his throat. Something inside him clenched angrily as his temper began to boil once more. He was tired of being pushed around by blonde bastards. His eyes narrowed as he moved to tear one of the knives out of the trunk, and a second later he was moving to attack the other, throwing his bombs the direction of the blonde as he began lighting up his rings. He wasn’t exactly sure of how to implement them yet, but Gokudera had always loved to experiment. And he had a perfect training target. 

“I don’t need the Cloud Ring to beat _you,_ ” the silver-haired growled as he decided to begin charging up his next attack with Lightning Flames. 

Fon let out a small sigh before moving out of the way of the battle. Perhaps it would be best for them to exhaust some of that energy before they got to work. 

"Shishishi!" Belphegor jumped back to dodge the blasts, grinning the whole time. "You get pissed so easy! It’s always so fun!" He cackled happily as he held four knives. His ring lit up with Storm Flames which covered the knives before he threw them straight at Gokudera. Bel was glad Fon had decided to step aside. He did so hate it when the baby interfered. 

The Storm Guardians battled relentlessly for quite a while. Fon did little to interfere, only occasionally butting in with some commentary that neither of the Guardians spared a moment to fully comprehend.

 


	23. Target 22: Breaking the Limit

 

For the past three days, Chrome had been drilling exercises after exercises in Mist illusions and other things. It was a warm up, Mammon had told her, for what was to come. She didn’t know whether that meant for the Vendetta or for more of her training. Whenever she asked Mammon, he never specified. Now, she was walking to a clearing in Kokuyo Park at the same time their training always began. Usually, Mammon would be sitting impatiently somewhere or bullying Skull around, but today, neither was anywhere to be seen. Chrome frowned slightly, looking around again, wondering if she should call out for him. She wondered if he was even here. 

Suddenly, a vine began to grow from under Chrome’s legs, before beginning to rapidly to curl around her feet, gripping her tightly. 

Chrome barely had time to feel the press of Mist Flames around them and even still, she could barely sense it. She concentrated, trying to find the weak spot in the illusion, but it was powerful. 

“Tch, so you’re still only at this level, huh?” Mammon’s disembodied voice called out from somewhere nearby. 

Chrome looked around and gripped her trident tighter as the vine curled around her waist now, entrapping her entire lower body. “Mammon!” She looked around, though of course she couldn’t see him. She lifted her trident and pushed the end against it, trying to slow its climb. But these vines were solid. They were unlike any illusions she’d ever seen. These were nearly equal to Mukuro-sama ’s in quality… 

There was an audible sigh. 

“…Why do I have to keep on training this amateur girl?” Mammon grumbled to himself before appearing before Chrome. 

“If you can’t get rid of these vines, you’ll die,” he told her in a disinterested tone, and as soon as he said those words, the vines began to grow even more, and wrapped up more of her, slowly suffocating every part of her body. 

Chrome gasped. The vines gripped her chest and made it hard to breathe. They were rising to her neck and wrapping around her arms as well. _Mukuro-sama!_ She called on instinct, still flailing around as panic began to grip her. 

The vines continued getting tighter and Mammon did nothing to stop them. He stared at her with a dissatisfied frown. After all, if she couldn’t even do this much, then the past three days had been a total waste. 

 _Calm down, Chrome,_ Mukuro’s voice spoke faintly in Chrome’s mind. He had remained quiet for the most part these days, but couldn’t help but to speak up as he felt his host’s body begin to weaken due to the pain. However, he wasn’t going to take over just for this. 

Chrome pressed her lips together at the sound of Mukuro-sama’s voice. He was right. She was losing it. It was an amateur mistake. She took a deep breath as far as the vines wrapping around her chest would allow and reached out with her Mist. With her newly calmed mind, it wasn’t long before she found it—the point where the fabric of the illusion frayed, where it was fake. She pulled on the loose thread and the illusion unraveled and dissipated. She sighed with relief, watching the vines disappear in a flurry of Mist Flames.  
  
“Feh!” Mammon looked unimpressed at this, and just disappeared from sight again. 

“That took you longer than it should have. I wonder if you really have the talent to go through my training.” The Arcobaleno sounded more annoyed than mocking, and after sighing once more, his presence disappeared completely. 

Then, suddenly, the world around them shifted and they were no longer in Kokuyo Park. Instead, they were in the Namimori Mountain. The place looked so real that one had to wonder if they had ever been in Kokuyo Park at all. 

“H-help!” a voice suddenly called out, sounding panicky and distraught. It was Skull, trapped underneath a small crevice where a huge boulder was about to fall on top. 

“N-no! Help me!” Skull’s voice called out from Chrome’s left now. The Cloud Arcobaleno was hanging off the cliff and was unable to pull himself up. There was a rope tied to his ankle, and pulling him down was another heavy rock. 

Chrome's eyes widened as she looked around. This was an illusion, she knew it, but there was something wrong. There was an extra presence in the illusion. Only one of these Skulls was a fake. Chrome's eyes widened before she remembered Mukuro's words. _Calm down_.   
  
Chrome took a deep breath and blocked out the cries for help. Instead, she reached out with her Mist and felt around the illusion, looking for the real Skull. It was only a moment before the rock was about to fall on the real Skull in the crevice that Chrome grabbed the Arcobaleno, hugging him close as the illusion wavered and skewed around them. She gave a small sigh of relief before looking down at Skull to make sure he was alright. 

Skull, who had been shaking in terror just a moment ago, quickly composed himself and tried not to look too shaky as he struggled to get out of Chrome’s arms. 

“Viper, you bastard!” the Cloud Arcobaleno shouted in a high-pitched voice. “Stop using me as your guinea pig, you jerk!” 

Mammon paid no attention to his fellow Arcobaleno and instead floated in the direction of Chrome. “Good job,” he told her in a monotone tone, and a second later, their surroundings shifted again to their normal appearance—they were back in Kokuyo Park. 

Chrome placed the Cloud Arcobaleno down on the floor so he wouldn’t fall before looking at Mammon and nodding, holding on to her trident. “Thank you,” she said softly, watching as Kokuyo Park returned to the visible spectrum.  
  
“Those illusions…” She turned her attention to Mammon again. “It was really difficult for me to find the weakness… It almost felt real,” she murmured, almost feeling a bit embarrassed at her trouble in the beginning.  
  
Mammon snorted at her words, as if mocking what she had said. “Stupid girl, haven’t you realized it yet?” 

“Reality is often in the eye of the beholder,” a voice spoke up from behind Chrome. It was Fon, sitting on top of a protesting Skull’s head. 

“As long as you keep a clear head, you should do alright, kora!” Colonnello’s voice called out from above. The Rain Arcobaleno was hanging from Falco’s grasp as per usual. 

“As long as you continue to strongly believe in what you create, who is to say that illusions aren’t real, my dear Chrome?” Mukuro also materialized right next to Chrome, his hand, warm and so-seemingly real, moving to pat at her head kindly. 

Chrome looked around at each speaker, gasping at the last one. "Mukuro-sama!" She stared as the hand reached out and patted her head. It felt so real. Exactly like Chrome had always thought it would feel. But then the previous words registered. "These are… all illusions?" She stumbled back from the fake Mukuro, knowing that he couldn't possibly be real. But… it felt nothing like an illusion. 

"That..." She looked at Mammon, not knowing what to say. 

“That’s the level that you’ll be able to reach… one day.” Mammon snorted, doubting the other would be able to achieve her full potential any time soon. The girl was too shy and unconfident, and illusions were all about confidence. 

Mammon sighed. This was the last time he was going to work for free. “Well, let’s get to work.”

 

* * *

 

Hibari stared at the floor blankly, a permanent frown affixed on his face. He felt filthy and grimy. He hadn't left the cell in four days. He hadn't changed clothes. His hair wasn't even brushed. His precious uniform was wrinkled and dirty, and he had long since lost the feeling in his hands. He hadn't dared to lie down in case Ono would see him, so he barely got any sleep as well. As it was, the prefect was wearing thin. 

“Good evening, Mr. Prefect!” Ono’s voice called out as he entered the prison. “Hmm, you’re not looking very well today, are you?” the redhead asked with a mock-concerned tone as he moved to stand in front of the cell. “Did you miss me? Sorry I couldn’t drop by earlier today.” The redhead shot his prisoner a little grin as he leaned over the cell. His dark-brown eyes glanced over the other with amusement. 

And Hibari thought it couldn't get any worse. His body went tense upon hearing that loathsome voice. He stared, with more determination, at the floor. His knees went up a couple inches and his shoulders hunched over as if trying to close Ono off. He ignored his words. He ignored the name. He didn't want anything to do with Ono. He wanted nothing more right now than to just go home. 

Ono’s lips shifted into a sharp smirk upon seeing the prefect’s reaction. He took note of the prefect’s tense body, noticing how the way he was holding himself now was much different from the time they had first captured him. Back then, Hibari had radiated an aura of pure hate and frustration. But now, that aura seems to have dulled into anxiousness. 

Ono was looking forward to seeing what type of expression the usually impassive prefect was going to have after what he had planned. Just the thought of it made all the frustration he had felt earlier that afternoon ease off as he felt a sinister rush of anticipation course through him. 

“Now, now, Kyouya. What’s with that reaction? Didn’t you miss me? You’ll break my heart if you keep acting like this, you know.” 

"Shut up." Hibari's voice was low. Quiet. He still refused to look at Ono, his eyes never moving from that single spot on the floor. "Leave me alone." His voice didn't raise a single shred of volume. It was almost as if it was running on automatic. "Don't call me Kyouya." 

Ono snickered. “Oh, so you’re sulking, huh? How cute.” The redhead shot the other a patronizing smile. “If I had known you were going to miss me this much, I would have come to visit you earlier, I swear!” 

The irritation was coming back in waves. Ono was poking and prodding at him, and this time, Hibari looked up to glare murderously at Ono. He didn't say anything and he didn't need to. _Get to the point or get out_ , Hibari's eyes said as the homicidal aura seeped back in. 

“Heh, now that’s more like it.” Ono grinned as his hands fiddled over the bars of the cell, still not making a move to open the door. In fact, one had to wonder if Ono would at all, since he didn’t seem to be carrying a plate of food. 

Hibari finally noticed that Ono was empty-handed. He hadn't looked at him before now. Seeing that he had no food with him roused suspicion. Had Ono come just to humiliate him more? Hibari's eyes narrowed at the thought. "What do you want?" he said lowly. 

Ono looked pleased once Hibari’s attention turned to him fully. This was exactly what he had been waiting for. “Well, I wanted to make up for my absence, you know? And I did tell you yesterday, didn’t I? We have someone who’s just dying to meet you.” One chuckled slightly, his lips slowly widening into a deeply pleased smirk. And then, suddenly… 

"Hibari! Hibari!" 

Hibari's eyes widened and his gaze snapped to the new figure at the door. Yuki was standing there at the door with a cage in her hand made of Lightning Flames. Inside the cage, Hibird fluttered around in a panic. Some of the little bird’s feathers were already singed. At the sight of its master, Hibird made towards Hibari, only to come in contact with the Lightning Flames which gave it a nasty shock. Hibird bounced back to the center of the cage wearily. 

Upon seeing this, Hibari, for the first time in four days, stood. Almost. He staggered to his feet and crashed forward, leaning against the bars as he stared at his bird. His gaze switched to Ono as he glared at him with the intensity of a thousand suns. " _Let him go,_ " he snarled. 

“Let him go?” Ono repeated, his eyebrows furrowed in mock-confusion. “Now why in the world would I want to do that?” the redhead asked with a perplexed expression. He didn’t even bother to move from his spot despite the other’s closeness. 

 "Because if you don't, I'll make sure you wish you were never born." Hibari growled, his fists clenched and his body taut. 

Yuki laughed at the sight. "He's been here four days and he still has some spunk." She grinned widely. "I like it. It’s a shame you got assigned to him, Ono." 

“Now, now, don’t be jealous, Yuki.” Ono turned from the cell to wink at his fellow Guardian. “And although I’m lending him to you for a bit, don’t forget he’s m-i-n-e, okay?” The redhead warned her with a small smile, completely ignoring his prisoner’s previous remark. 

"Oh, I know." Yuki grinned as her ring, which was on the hand holding the cage, flared up with Lightning Flames. The electric bars of the cage began to bend inward, slowly closing in on the small bird. Hibird chirped anxiously and fearfully, hopping around to try and find a way to avoid the painful flames. 

"Let him _go_!" Hibari growled, slamming his shoulder against the bars for emphasis. 

Yuki just giggled. 

“It’s such a frail little thing, isn’t it?” Ono moved away from the cell and approached to pet the small bird with his finger, reaching into the cage. He ushered it towards the flames, ignoring his own pain, and watched it squirm. 

Hibird backed off from Ono's hand and right into a column of Lightning Flames. The bird let out a pained chirp and scooted away, looking around in stress, panic, and fear. It tried to fly again, only to get shocked once more.

Hibari let out a snarl of anger, hatred, and frustration. He slammed against the bars again before roughly kicking the reinforced iron bars. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" 

Ono tried to ignore Hibari for a bit more, sharing an amused grin with Yuki, but ultimately, he couldn’t resist addressing him. “Careful now, Mr. Prefect. We wouldn’t want your little foal to get hurt too now, would we?” The redhead tutted as he turned to face the prefect. “You need to take care of yourself a bit better, don’t you think?” 

Hibari glared daggers and fire at Ono. No one had ever seen the prefect so angry. No one had managed to get him so angry before. They had all died before Hibari had gotten to this point. If it had been up to Hibari, Ono would have died the moment he had called his phone. "Shut up, unless it’s to tell her to let my bird go," he growled darkly. 

Ono shook his head ruefully. “Kids these days…” he sighed to Yuki. “No manners at all. After all the trouble we went through to get our dear prisoner some company, you would think we would at least get a thank you, right?” Ono gave into his urge to lean over the prison bars again. He stood close to the prefect, almost close enough to touch. But he didn’t reach in yet. Instead, he asked, “What would you do for your precious little bird, Mr. Prefect? Would you kill for us?” Ono smirked. “Just how important is your dear bird to you, hmm?” 

Yuki nodded her head sympathetically at Ono's words, but she still grinned, keeping the Lightning Flames inches away from Hibird. 

Hibari narrowed his eyes at Ono, glaring and not moving back an inch. Was Ono offering him a deal? An exchange? "Who do you want dead?" he asked in a low tone a second later. He had no qualms about killing, of course, but he despised making a deal with this bastard. 

Ono exchanged another amused look with Yuki before turning to the teen once more. “Eager to please, aren’t you?” Ono chuckled. “I wonder how eager you would be if we asked you to kill one of your friends. The so-called Tenth, perhaps?” Ono’s fingers trailed over the cell’s bars. “The baseball kid?” Ono leaned close to the other’s face, his breath brushing over Hibari’s skin warmly. Ono’s hands quickly lashed out to capture the prefect’s upper arms and held on to them tightly, pulling his prisoner even closer until he was flush against the prison bars. 

“The Cavallone Family sounds like a good idea, wouldn’t you agree?” Ono murmured softly, his voiced reverberating around the room. 

Hibari had been about to move away from how close Ono was getting when the other reached and grabbed him, keeping him against the bars. He snarled at the other's words. Especially at the last statement. Hibari didn't respond. He didn't speak. In fact, he did something very un-Hibari-like, and probably against school rules. He spit on Ono's face. 

Yuki snorted in amusement. 

Although Ono’s expression didn’t waver, his grip on the other tightened viciously. It was sure to leave marks on the other’s skin. 

But the redhead didn’t make any move to wipe the other’s spit off; instead, he leaned even closer, and whispered so low that only Hibari could hear him. 

“If you ever do that again, my dear prefect, the next thing I will bring in a cage will be your dear Bronco’s body, displayed piece by piece,” he murmured to him as his lips slowly settled into a thin patient smile. 

Hibari hid a wince when the grip on his skin  turned painful. He glared at the other's words and sneered. "You won't be able to touch him. You'll be dead before you get anywhere near him," he growled lowly. 

“Are you sure about that?” Ono murmured. “After all, if he kills me, he might never find out where you are. And as you know, you are his biggest weakness, Kyouya. He would do anything for you. Anything for his cute little student.” Ono’s grip on the other slacked slightly, his thumbs rubbing over the wounds he had made. “What a besotted fool,” he murmured. 

"I didn't say he would be the one to kill you," Hibari said lowly, his tone never wavering. He clenched his fists and glared straight into the other’s frustratingly cheerful eyes. "I'll make sure you don't get anywhere near him." 

Ono’s mouth twitched lightly and he couldn’t help but to snort loudly at these words. “Ha! Did you hear that, Yuki?” The redhead continued to chuckle, shaking his head at the audacity of the prefect. “You? Do you really think you can do anything to me?” Ono rolled his eyes exasperatedly. “You have guts, Mr. Prefect. I like that about you. But I think it’s about time you realized exactly what position you are in,” he said. 

Then, without further ado, Ono reached around the prefect’s body, his hands sliding over the other’s arms as they quickly reached for the tied hands. In a quick motion, the thick rope that had been tightly holding the prefect’s hands together was cut. But before the prefect could make any sudden moves with his new freedom, Ono quickly clamped his hands over the other’s and pulled them on them harshly until they were forced to wrap around the prison bars. 

“Look at where you are,” Ono told the other, his lips quirked in an infuriatingly patient and amused manner. “Just how long are you going to continue this cocky attitude of yours?” Ono asked the other with a slight interested tilt of his head as he tightened his grip on the prefect’s hands. 

Hibari thrashed as soon as his hands were free, trying and failing to put some distance between them. His face pressed up against the bars as he snarled, glaring hard at Ono. He could hear Hibird chirping, loud and panicked, though it was quickly stopped by a telltale shocking sound. Hibari struggled again, bracing his feet against the floor. "You won't break me," he growled. 

Ono chuckled at these words. “Won’t I?” he murmured softly as he slid down one of his hands to grasp at the other’s wrist. His thumb rubbed soothingly at the skin there, though the rest of his fingers dug firmly under the careful grip. “I think you’ll find that I’m capable of many things, Mr. Prefect.” Ono smiled with dark anticipation, before, without further notice, snapping the prefect’s wrist in one swift motion. 

Hibari's eyes widened and his face went pale. The pain shot up his arm and to his shoulder, causing a shudder to run down his body. His knees wavered. He gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out in pain, and with his good hand, he gripped one of the bars as hard as he could, instinctually afraid that Ono would snap this one as well. 

Ono made no move to reach for the other wrist however. There was no need. Instead, he mercilessly tightened his hold on the already snapped wrist, feeling the bone grind underneath his touch, and smiled. 

“Yuki,” the redhead called out to his fellow Guardian calmly. “Be a dear and get me some more rope, will ya?” he hummed cheerfully, making sure to continue to tighten his grip on the other’s injury. 

Hibari clenched his teeth, averting his eyes from Ono's so the redhead wouldn't see the pain brimming there. 

Yuki grinned and placed the cage down. "Will do, Ono~" she sang before moving out of the room. She returned moments later with a long length of rope which she brought over to Ono. 

Ono smiled as he studied his prisoner’s expression. He could tell the other was struggling to keep his pain from showing, but Ono knew from experience how excruciating this could feel. He suspected the other was too prideful to cry out, but Ono knew how to handle those types. It was all about wearing down one’s endurance. And considering his prisoner’s current state, Ono knew it wouldn’t be long before the other completely shattered before his eyes. 

Upon Yuki’s return, Ono grinned a little as he motioned her to come closer. He made sure his grip on the other was nice and tight as he instructed her to tie the prefect’s hands again, firmly. “We wouldn’t want our dear prisoner to escape, after all.” Ono could feel the shattered bone quivering beneath his touch, could see the tension and utter loathing the other’s posture screamed out. His smile widened. 

Yuki grinned and reached over to tie Hibari's hands tightly. As she made the knot, she made sure to pull the ends swiftly, securing the thick rope roughly around the broken wrist. 

Hibari resisted the urge to hiss in pain. His knees were already shaking though he did his best to make them stop. The edges of his vision were turning white and his skin was pale. His wrist was already swelling which only made it more painful as it fought against the tightness of the ropes. 

Ono stood back a bit to smile at their handiwork. “Well, I think we’re done here, don’t you, Yuki dear?” The redhead looked pleased to note how much the other was struggling to keep his composure. 

"Oh, I think today was a success." Yuki reached out and her ring lit up. She pressed a finger to Hibari's broken wrist and shocked the already tender flesh. Hibari tensed and closed his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth until Yuki pulled her finger away. Yuki grinned brightly at Ono. "Shall we?" she said, and spun on her heel before heading towards the door. 

Ono shook his head ruefully at the girl’s actions. “You just couldn’t resist, could you?” he chuckled easily as he followed her out the door. His smile became slightly fixed, however, as they reached the exit. Next to the door, leaning upon one of the walls, was Minato, looking as pleased and carefree as always. 

Ono ground his teeth in irritation. The afternoon’s incident was still fresh in his mind, but he did his best not to let his annoyance show up on his face. 

Minato smiled brightly at the sight of Ono. A digital camera swung back and forth from his fingers. "Very good, Ono-kun. You and Yuki-chan did a very nice job," he said, his cheeriness not faltering at Ono's irritation. 

Yuki placed her hands on her hips and smirked. "I guess you'll be taking it from here?" she commented, eyeing the camera. 

"I will indeed." Minato nodded. 

“I didn’t do it for you.” Ono couldn’t help but to sneer, his eyes never leaving the other’s face. He felt the familiar urge to reach for his swords. 

"I know you didn't." Minato moved off of the wall and walked into the prison, though not before running a mockingly sweet hand over Ono's shoulder as he passed by. 

Yuki immediately gripped Ono's arm and began dragging him away, down the hall so they wouldn't start a fight. Ugh. Men. 

Ono tensed under the brief touch and it took all of his self-control to allow himself to be dragged off. He wasn’t going to be riled up by that bastard again. Especially not after having spent such a lovely evening with his favorite prisoner. His smile became less fixed and more pleased as he pictured how dear Mr. Bronco’s expression would be once he found out how they had been treating his dear little Kyouya. Ono couldn’t wait to see it. 

Minato walked in and turned on his camera. Hibari glared at him, but Minato didn't flinch. In fact, he looked amused. "Smile, Kyou-kun," he said with his own wide grin before he began snapping pictures.   
  
Hibari refused to look at the camera, so there were a couple of shots with Minato's hand gripping the prefect's chin and turning his face towards the camera lens. After Minato left, Hibari was left on his own once more. By now, he was able to tune out the pain of his broken wrist as long as he didn't move it. He leaned his forehead against the bars, just listening to the silence and his heart pounding, his wrist throbbing. In that silence, he imagined Dino's face. His reaction to the pictures that were just taken. He wondered for a single moment if he was going to be stuck here for the rest of his life. The silence was deafening until something familiar broke it. 

 _"Midori tanabiku.... Namimori no..."_  

Hibari looked up to the cage that was left in the other corner of the room. A weak and tired Hibird, seeing his master's distress, was softly singing the only song he knew. 

Hibari smiled.

 


	24. Target 23: The Tipping Point

* * *

**DAY FIVE**

* * *

 

Dino felt drained. The training with Aria, while extremely productive, was leaving him exhausted. Although admittedly, this was mostly Dino's own fault.  

The thing was, Dino just couldn't stop worrying about how his lover was doing. Was the Vendetta treating him alright? Was Kyouya's temper getting the best of him? Was he eating well, or injured? Was he missing Dino?

There were so many variables to think about as well. The lack of information about the Vendetta Family was utterly infuriating. They had little idea of how many members they had, what weapons they wielded... 

Dino's reoccurring nightmares weren't helping his mental health either. Every night, he dreamt of his lover's cold, unresponsive body. Every morning, he woke up wishing that this too was a dream—that the next time he opened his eyes, Kyouya would still be by his side.  

Every time, he woke up with the same heart-wrenching feeling of disappointment.   
   
Dino didn't know how much longer he could hold himself back. Something inside him was screaming at him, telling him that he was a fool for waiting. That he should be out there, looking for his lost lover instead of wasting time idly.   
  
The heavy weight on his finger and the worried looks that his subordinates shot him every day were the only things holding him back. The only things that reminded him of his role.   
   
"Dammit, Kyouya..." Dino murmured softly under his breath, looking unhappy as he stared emptily at the ceiling over their futon. He felt unmotivated to move, to live, knowing his lover was stuck in a limbo of his own, helpless.   
   
It was with a sigh that he finally got out up though. He didn't want his subordinates to see him looking so disgraceful. And it wouldn't be right to lie about unproductively when there were still many things to do.  

 

* * *

 

Aria stepped into Hibari’s house that morning with a frown. Gamma was with her as usual (the man refused to leave her side now) as she held on to an envelope she had retrieved from the mailbox. Gamma had already checked to make sure it wasn't dangerous but Aria was still concerned.  
  
The envelope felt thin and it seemed like there was only a single paper inside. And instead of being addressed to the usual "Mr. Bronco," "Dino Cavallone" was written on the envelope.  
  
"Dino?" Aria called as she entered the house. 

Romario greeted Aria and Gamma with a nod, before signaling to the direction of the main bedroom. "He should be out soon," he told them.   
  
And indeed, Dino came out only a couple minutes after, doing his best to not look at tired as he felt.   
  
"Morning," he called out to Romario before, upon noticing his guests, nodding in the direction of them as well.  
  
"You're early, Aria," Dino noted as they walked to the kitchen. Though he wasn’t hungry, Dino sat down and forced himself to pick at his breakfast. 

Aria sat down across from Dino. "It’s a good thing I did come a bit earlier," she commented with a slight frown. She placed the envelope down, name up, on the table and slid it over to the blonde mafia boss. "Gamma's already checked it. It’s safe."  
  
Upon seeing the envelope, Dino's heart leapt at his throat. He dreaded to see the contents of it, but at the same time, he felt anxious for some news. 

Inside the envelope was a single piece of paper that read, "Dino-kun. I've sent a letter to Tsu-kun as well. One that you might want to see."  
  
It wasn't signed, but it was obvious it was from the Vendetta Family, albeit not from the usual family member. 

The vague letter left Dino feeling both frustrated and disappointed. He wondered what the point of this had been, what the need behind sending two letters was all about. Surely Reborn would end up telling him about it anyway...  
  
The fact that it was a different person who had sent the message also made Dino feel slightly uneasy. Something felt off. And he was about to find out exactly what.  
  
"Romario," Dino began to instruct as he pushed away his plate and stood up from his seat. "Prepare the car. We're leaving for Tsuna's," he said, his face set in a stony frown as he pocketed the letter.

 

* * *

 

"Tsu-kun! Go get the mail for me please!"  
  
"Okay!" Tsuna called from his room as he pulled a shirt on. He sighed slightly and headed down the stairs, opening the mailbox. He put the newspaper under his arm and grabbed the small wad of envelopes. They were mostly bills, but one particular envelope stuck out. It was unmarked except for "Sawada Tsunayoshi" written on the front. Tsuna paled slightly, staring at the thick envelope. He could feel the sinister air wafting off of it. He looked around before pushing the envelope into his back pocket.  
  
After dropping off the mail in the kitchen, Tsuna returned to his room before taking the envelope out again. It was thick and hard to open, but eventually, he wrestled it open and its contents spilled over his table.  
  
There had to be at least twenty pictures of Hibari. The prefect looked pale, too-thin, and obviously injured. There was one picture, though, that stuck out amongst the others. It wasn't of Hibari. It was a picture of Kyoko-chan and Haru walking home from school. Written on the picture was a single sentence. " _No more rings._ "  
  
Tsuna was sure he would throw up. What could they possibly be doing to Hibari-san? And now Kyoko-chan and Haru were also in their sights. Tsuna ran. He ran out of his room and shut himself inside the bathroom. He gripped the sink, shaking as overwhelming fear washed over him. His face was wet. He was crying.  
  
Back in Tsuna’s bedroom, Reborn was already gathering up the pictures with a grave look on his face. He stowed them away in his jacket without a word.

Not long after, Dino and his men arrived to Tsuna's house with Aria and Gamma in tow. The Cavallone boss had been silent throughout the entire ride, growing more and more worried with each second that passed. There was a heavy feeling that had settled in his chest, a foreboding weight that was doing nothing to ease Dino's nerves.

When the group entered the house, Reborn was standing at the top of the stairs, looking serious. He looked like he wanted to say something, but his eyes darted for a moment to the direction of the kitchen where Nana was humming as she cooked breakfast.  
  
After making eye contact with Dino, Reborn beckoned the blonde up the stairs with a single wave of his hand, wanting only the Cavallone boss to follow as he walked down the hallway back to Tsuna's room. 

The heavy weight that had settled in Dino’s chest only became heavier upon noticing Reborn’s look. Obviously, whatever the Vendetta had sent, it wasn’t anything good. 

Romario put a hand on his boss’ shoulder, but the supportive gesture did nothing for Dino. The blonde felt numb and wary. His could feel his heart pounding anxiously against his chest. Dino shook his head slightly at Romario before shrugging off the touch and silently moving to follow Reborn up to Tsuna’s room. 

Once there, he showed Reborn the letter they had received. “What’s going on, Reborn?” he asked. “Where is Tsuna?” He noted the teen was absent from his room. 

Reborn took the letter and read it with a frown. He folded up the letter and placed it down before sitting cross-legged on the table. Leon settled on his lap and Reborn's hand moved automatically to pet the small lizard's head. 

"Tsuna's in the bathroom," the baby said, taking one picture out of the stack in his jacket. It was the one of Kyoko and Haru. He put it on the table and motioned for Dino to sit. "He's trying to gather himself," he said simply. But even though his tone was even, his hat was casting a shadow over his eyes and he was frowning. 

Dino sat down and looked at the photo with confusion. Although he did feel rather sick that the Vendetta was threatening to attack the girls, Dino didn’t get why they would bother to bring this matter up to Dino’s attention in particular. 

He could imagine how this picture would affect his little brother, but… 

Dino looked up from the picture to look at Reborn, noticing the other’s tense posture. “What aren’t you aren’t telling me, Reborn?” Dino asked the other with a serious frown. 

Reborn looked at Dino straight in the eyes, unflinching. There in his gaze showed his doubt. Dino had been improving very much this past week, something that Reborn was extremely proud of. But Hibari remained being the blonde’s biggest weakness. Even the strongest dam could crumble effortlessly if tapped in the right spot. What Reborn held in his jacket was not a tap. It was explosive. 

"There was more to the letter," Reborn said, standing up. Leon moved up to his hat and settled there. "But I'm not going to show you." 

Reborn’s words chilled Dino to the core. Something inside him knew that Reborn had a damn good reason for refusing to show him whatever else had arrived, but another part, the part of Dino that had been enduring haunting nightmares for endless nights, the part that was craving to know if his Kyouya was alright, was raging inside of him.

"And why the hell not?" Dino demanded, his voice low and his jaw tense. 

Reborn frowned at Dino. "Because all you'll do is break apart again," he said simply, crossing his arms. Reborn shook his head. "There's no use in showing you." 

Dino tightened his fists impulsively at that remark, finding insult in the candid words. At the same time though, Dino couldn’t help but to swallow heavily, feeling the heavy weight that had been lingering at his chest worsen at the implications. Just how grave were these photos that Reborn was so adamant to keep them from him? Dino almost didn’t want to see them, but at the same time, he didn’t think he could live with himself if he didn’t. 

He wondered if they would be worse than what he dreamed every night. If he would find Kyouya still in one piece. If he was even sane still. 

Dino knew of Kyouya’s strengths, had never doubted them. But he also knew just how dark and ugly the Mafia world could be. There were things that even Dino himself had done that he wasn’t proud of, things he would never like to admit. 

Above all, he knew that there were people out there who were much, much worse. 

“You have no right to keep whatever they sent from me,” Dino told his old mentor quietly. His eyes were shadowed by his bangs as he stared down into his lap. 

"I have every right," Reborn contradicted immediately. There was no hesitation. There was no regret. Reborn knew exactly what he was doing, and many knew that when Reborn set out to do something, it would be done. 

"You're a mess, Dino. The Vendetta Family just wants to get in your head. I'm not going to allow that to happen. If I had gotten to the mail first, I would have taken the pictures from Tsuna as well," he said, his tone serious and harsh. "You're not ready. You're not solid. Hibari is a weakness the Vendetta are eager to exploit." 

As Reborn spoke, the knot inside Dino’s stomach rapidly grew tighter and tighter. He felt—almost irrationally—angry. It was suffocating and Dino swallowed harshly, trying to rein in his temper, but couldn’t. “So what if they want to get in my head?” Dino snapped at the other. “You think I don’t know what they’re trying to do? You think I don’t know what Kyouya is going through? You _know_ that’s not true,” Dino growled darkly, meaningfully. 

He looked away from the other a second later. “I know more than anyone what kind of situation we are in, Reborn. I’m not a kid anymore,” Dino reminded him quietly and ran a stressed hand over his hair as he frowned. 

Reborn walked across the table and stood in front of Dino. "Do you really, Dino?" the Arcobaleno questioned with a frown. "Every time Hibari is involved, you revert back to the useless child I first met in Italy," he said, not holding back at all. "You say you can handle it, but you always end up being reduced to mush. Aria told me what happened last time. You forget everything, every lesson I taught you, every piece of advice anyone's given you. It all goes to the garbage the moment Hibari is involved." Reborn glared at him. "Go. You have training to do," he ordered. 

Reborn’s words felt like a slap to Dino’s face. It hurt to hear those words; it hurt even more knowing that they were true. Hadn’t he been berating himself about this just the other day? 

But hearing these words from Reborn himself made Dino feel a thousand times worse. 

Despite that, however, Dino couldn’t help but to clench his fists angrily at his sides. He hated when Reborn did this. The way he thought that his every word was a law that must be followed. The way he decided things without consulting others. Every time… 

“You have no right,” Dino hissed at the other angrily, digging his nails into his skin as he attempted to contain his fury. He glared at the Arcobaleno, trying to ignore the hurtful feeling that had begun to settle at the other’s accusations. Reborn’s words had stung deeply, and Dino’s shoulders were threatening to hunch into themselves as if by doing so he could ward off his former mentor’s comments. 

Because of this, the blonde just couldn’t help but to snap back, “Do you even know what it feels like to have someone precious be taken away from you? Always the cold and unfeeling hitman, putting duty over love. What do you know about what this feels like?!” Dino ended up growling, slamming his fist harshly on top of the table before moving to stand. The blonde towered over the Sun Arcobaleno, his expression livid. 

“Ever since we met, you’ve been telling that I shouldn’t let my feelings get in the way of my decisions, but look at how far I’ve come!” Dino’s voice rose with each word he spat in his fury. “Everything I’ve done, everything I have accomplished I’ve done it because I _care._ ” Dino’s body shook with emotion as he continued. 

“Whenever my subordinates get hurt, I panic. That time when Romario went missing? I panicked. When Kyouya first got kidnapped, of course I panicked—how could I _not?_ ” Dino ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Just because my emotions get the best of me sometimes doesn’t make me incapable of making decisions, Reborn. _You_ taught me better than that,” Dino finished with a frustrated growl. 

The Arcobaleno hitman gave a single twitch. Something precious. What did Dino know of Reborn’s life? Nothing. What right did he have to assume? No right. Reborn glared at Dino when he stood up and towered over him. This action merely served to strengthen Reborn's temper. "I put duty over love because it keeps people alive." His tone was sharp and his eyes were hard. Reborn jumped up and grabbed the collar of Dino's shirt, his feet bracing against the blonde's chest, keeping eye level with him now. "You think I don't care? You think I don't worry?!" 

Reborn's voice was rising in volume as well. His lips curled back as he growled. "I know how to compose myself, Dino. But if you want to prove me right yet again, fine! I won't care about you anymore. You can go at it alone. I'll leave you be." Reborn dropped down and pulled out the stack of pictures. "I'll keep out of your way, Cavallone," he said coldly, tossing the pictures at Dino's feet before moving out of the room. 

Tsuna was standing in the hallway, his eyes wide. He had heard Reborn yelling and had come out of the bathroom to check out what was going on. Now, he stared as the baby stormed out of his room. 

Dino glared right back at Reborn at first, not moving an inch as the other jumped up to his chest. But the more the Arcobaleno spoke, the more Dino's stomach began to twist in remorse.  

For once, Reborn sounded truly angry. Not just bossy or demanding, but actually angry. Knowing that he had been the one to cause that made Dino feel guilty... 

But... what Dino had said had been true. Reborn had no right to belittle him like he had done. Even if… 

Even if he had done it to protect Dino.  

Dino stood there, frozen, as he watched the Arcobaleno storm off. He wanted to call out and stop the other, but he couldn't bring himself to. He still felt angry and hurt, and on top of that guilty as well. So he didn't say a word.  

Instead, he glanced down to the floor and spotted the fallen pictures. Immediately after, he wished he hadn't.  

Dino felt sick to his stomach. He bit his lip and closed his eyes as he tried to stop his face from showing the utter anger and despair he felt at that moment. He felt himself trembling slightly, and the realization infuriated him beyond belief.  

Tsuna walked back into the room and looked at Dino before he spotted the pictures on the ground. He immediately turned away and headed right back outside the room. He bit his lip and leaned against the hallway wall, slowly sliding down and hugging his knees once he was on the floor.  
  
At the sight of Reborn leaving the house, Aria frowned and shared a look with Gamma. "I'll be right back," she said softly before giving Romario a reassuring look as well. She moved upstairs and paused upon spotting Tsuna on the floor. She frowned slightly at the sight but moved silently into Tsuna's room.   
  
"Dino," she called softly after taking in the scene before her. She walked over to the blonde and began gathering up the pictures. Here she was, needing to pick up the pieces for the second time. "Come on, Dino. Let's go," she murmured softly, placing a hand on the blonde’s shoulder. 

Aria's voice snapped Dino out of his thoughts. However, this time, he didn't find her presence to be comforting at all. Dino just sighed, and a second later, he slumped in defeat. He shrugged the other's hand off before quietly telling Aria, "Sorry, I just need to be alone now," and leaving the room.  

Dino made his way down the stairs without saying a word to anyone. He passed the distraught Tsuna and avoided looking into Romario's eyes. He just got into the car and waited to be taken home.  

Aria frowned slightly and clutched the pictures with a frown. This was not good. She silently followed Dino, sparing Tsuna a small look—but she knew she had to follow after Dino. She stopped for a moment and put her hand on Tsuna's shoulder before heading back down the stairs and walking out with Gamma and Romario. She sat in the car beside Dino and made no attempt to break the silence. 

Tsuna watched them go with a heavy sigh. It took a while before he was able to get back up to his feet. It was even harder to step back in his room. He could feel the lingering tension and it didn't really do him any good. He sat on his bed for a bit, not bothering to check his phone. 

It was at this moment, as Dino’s car drove out of view, that the door to Tsuna’s house burst open once again. 

“Tenth!?” Gokudera called out frantically upon entering his boss’ house. He looked around for any sign of trouble, his heart threatening to burst out of his chest. 

“Oh, Gokudera-kun!” Nana’s head popped out from the kitchen and she beamed in the direction of the silver-haired teen. “How nice of you to drop by.” She smiled at him. But then she titled her head and frowned slightly. “Huh? I wonder what happened to the rest of the guests.” She hummed, her voice curious, but after a moment, she shrugged and moved to head back into the kitchen. “Well, Tsu-kun is upstairs if you are looking for him. Also, if you spot the kids around, please send them down, Gokudera-kun. Breakfast is almost ready~” she called back at him before returning to what she was doing. 

Gokudera straightened up upon spotting the Tenth’s Mother, and at her words, he was able to relax. Still, once she was out of sight, he frowned once more, wondering why the Tenth hadn’t been answering his phone. He had sent him about five texts already… 

And what was this about guests? 

Gokudera decided to head to the Tenth’s room to check up on him. He knocked on the door once he was outside. “Tenth..?” 

Tsuna was silent for a moment before he registered that someone was at his bedroom door. "Huh?" He blinked a couple times before glancing over to his phone that was flashing, signifying that he had messages. Tsuna realized then and he quickly stood up and headed to the door. "Gokudera-kun..." He frowned slightly. "I'm sorry. Did I worry you?" he asked, going back to his phone and grabbing it to check the messages.

Gokudera looked relieved to hear the Tenth’s voice at last, but upon actually laying his eyes on the other, his frown deepened. “Tenth…? What’s wrong?” Gokudera’s eyebrows furrowed worriedly as he noticed his boss’ red eyes and damp face. Tsuna had clearly been crying. What had happened? 

Tsuna glanced at the phone before looking back at Gokudera, frowning slightly. "I..." He sighed softly and walked over, closing the door behind Gokudera. "The Vendetta sent another letter," he said softly before wrapping his arms around himself. "They were.... They had pictures of Hibari-san... and Kyoko-chan and Haru..." Tsuna took a deep shuddering breath. "They said we can't get any more rings..." 

Gokudera tensed slightly upon hearing the situation. _The Vendetta again…_ Gokudera gnawed on his lip harshly, unable to stop recalling how the blonde bastard had defeated him yesterday. Gokudera clenched his fists in anger at the mere thought of it. _I am going to make them pay for making you cry again…_ Gokudera thought almost menacingly. 

Outwardly, though, he tried not to look too agitated. He knew it wouldn’t help the Tenth at all. 

Instead, he moved to put a comforting hand on his boss’ shoulder, trying to reassure him somehow. It pained him to see his boss looking like this. “We’ll protect them, Tenth,” he said, trying to make his words feel like truth. 

Tsuna looked at him and nodded softly. He placed a hand on Gokudera's, keeping it there. The weight felt comfortable and reassuring. "That isn't all though." He tightened his hold on Gokudera's hand. "Reborn and Dino-san... They had a fight." Tsuna looked down at the floor. "I didn't hear a lot of it, but… Reborn didn't want to show Dino-san the pictures of Hibari-san, and they just started... yelling." He had never really heard Reborn get angry. Dino-san either. So to hear both of them fighting and insulting each other back and forth... 

Tsuna frowned. "Reborn eventually just stormed out and left Dino-san there..." he muttered, before biting his lip. 

Gokudera’s eyes widened at this. Reborn-san and the Bronco had fought? He had a hard time imagining that happening. 

Tsuna sighed slightly and slid his hand off of Gokudera's before turning to sit down on his bed. "I don't... really know what to do." He gripped his knees as he stared down at the floor with a hopeless expression on his face. "I don't even know if there's anything I _can_ do," he said. 

Reborn often turned a stern tone to Tsuna, but he had never yelled. Tsuna felt out of his element. On top of that, with the Vendetta expanding their targets, Tsuna couldn't really think straight. 

Gokudera felt pretty much the same. He was pretty baffled at the prospect of Reborn-san getting riled up to the point of yelling. He just couldn’t imagine the famed hitman losing his temper. 

But if the Tenth said so, then it must be true… 

Gokudera ran a hand through his hair, feeling a little lost. He wasn’t quite sure what he could say to the Tenth in this situation. Not really. Gokudera wasn’t the type of person who talked out his problems, preferring to just push them aside, leaving them to fester into resentment over time. 

Shamal was the same. It was because of this that whenever the two had gotten into fights, they never ended up talking about the issues they had with each other, instead preferring to ignore the fact that the arguments had even happened. 

Gokudera didn’t think the Tenth would be happy to hear that. So the only thing he told him was, “The only thing we can do is to keep on training…” he suggested, hesitantly. “In order to protect everyone, in order to survive…” Gokudera walked over to his boss, and after another moment of hesitation, he sat down next to him. “Those two will work things out somehow,” he said. 

Tsuna looked at Gokudera for a long moment, but he eventually nodded. "Yeah, I know… It’s just... Why is the Vendetta doing this? I never did anything to them. We barely know anything about them and they're doing these things..." He shook his head softly. "I just don't understand," he whispered. 

Gokudera couldn’t help but to frown at these words. He loathed the Vendetta for making the Tenth feel this way... 

“We don’t have to understand,” Gokudera told the other firmly. “Even if they have a reason, because they hurt the Tenth, I will _never_ forgive them,” he vowed fiercely. 

Tsuna looked at Gokudera and flushed slightly. He still never got used to the other's gushing praise and devotion. He probably never will. "Thank you, Gokudera-kun," he said, his lips breaking out into a small smile as he took the other’s hand in a fit of gratitude. But Tsuna realized a second too late that he was, in fact, holding Gokudera’s hand. His thoughts quickly switched from thankfulness to panic. He had to let go. What was he thinking just grabbing his hand like that? But a rebuttal came before he could release Gokudera’s fingers. Why? Did Gokudera look mad? No. He didn’t. In fact, he looked flushed as he usually did, but not mad, not insulted. But still, Tsuna had to take it back—No, he wouldn’t take it back! Tsuna forced through his own discomfort, his own inhibition, and kept his fingers clenched around Gokudera’s. 

"U-um, have you had breakfast yet?" Tsuna asked after a moment, shooting the other a stiff, nervous smile. Gokudera’s hand felt warm in his own. 

Gokudera immediately stiffened when he felt his boss’ hand grip his own. The gesture startled him, and for a moment, his mind completely blanked out. All of his thoughts left his brain, and all he could do is stare down at their joined hands dumbly as he felt his face slowly begin to flush. He glanced up at his boss, unsure, and maybe a little hopeful, but Tsuna’s face went through a flurry of emotions so fast that Gokudera didn’t get a chance read him. The smile directed at him distracted him momentarily, and it took him a second to register the question. He looked down at his lap and shook his head mutely, feeling his voice clog up as his stomach twisted in nervously. “S-since the Tenth didn’t answer his phone, I ended up coming here as quickly as I could,” Gokudera stammered. 

"Ah..." Tsuna looked down guiltily. "I really am sorry about that," he said softly. "I'll make it up to you. Why don't you eat with us?" he offered. 

Gokudera's stomach began to grumble as soon as the other made the suggestion, making him smile sheepishly before nodding in agreement. The two of them stood up, and after a moment of embarrassed flailing, they let go of each other’s hands. However, it was as they began to head down the stairs that they heard a loud crying wail coming from the kitchen. 

Tsuna sighed heavily as he heard the loud cry. "Lambo..." he muttered in slight frustration. He walked down the stairs and headed straight to the kitchen. "What's wrong now?" he asked.

Nana looked up at Tsuna with a puzzled frown on her face as he entered. "Oh, Tsu-kun…" She sighed as Lambo continued to cry into her arms. The young Bovino looked inconsolable, almost terrified as he tried to hide himself into Nana's arms. 

Tsuna frowned, seeing that this was actually something serious. "Lambo..." He walked over and picked Lambo up in his arms. "Lambo? What's wrong?" he asked softly.

Lambo sniffled loudly, hiccupping as he moved to hide in Tsuna's chest now. "L-L-Lambo-san isn't s-scared!" the cow stuttered in between wails. The five-year-old was shaking as he said this though. 

Tsuna frowned in confusion and glanced helplessly at Gokudera. "Did something happen?" he asked softly, sitting down and placing Lambo on his lap. "You can tell me. It’s okay."

Lambo shook his head wildly at the question, his eyes wide and terrified as he not-so-subtly tried to avoid looking out the kitchen window. His lip quivered for a second before he burst out into tears again. 

Nana sighed slightly at this before reaching to take Lambo from Tsuna again. “Now, now Lambo-chan.” Nana rocked the young cow slightly in her arms, rubbing soothingly at his back. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Maman will give Lambo-chan a lolly if he calms down~” she cooed at him with a small smile, trying to cheer the five-year-old up. 

Lambo slowly began to quiet down at her words, rubbing his face slightly. “R-really?” he stammered, his lips quivering as he stared up at her with his big wide eyes. 

Nana smiled. “Yup!” She giggled, clearly happy her words had done the trick. She hugged Lambo tighter to her and began to exit the kitchen with the Bovino in her arms. She only spared a moment to give Tsuna a small shrug, and subtly tilted her head towards the window before she was gone. 

Gokudera’s eyebrows furrowed at this scene. “What was all that about?” he asked, sounding confused. 

Tsuna shook his head. "I really don't know," he said. He got up from his seat and moved over to the window to look at what his mom had gestured to. The moment he did, it became obvious as to what Lambo was crying about. Reborn was standing outside, obviously fuming. He was standing near a tree in the yard which had a large dent in it. Tsuna winced at the sight. 

"It must have been Reborn..." he muttered, looking back at Gokudera. 

Gokudera’s eyes widened as he peeked out the window as well. “That must have been one hell of a fight…” he muttered in shock. It seemed like things were actually worse than he had imagined. 

Tsuna nodded slightly and sighed. "I never thought Reborn would ever get so angry." He frowned before looking out the window again. He felt a chill go down his spine. Reborn already abused him on a daily basis. Tsuna didn’t dare imagine how he would be now. "Ah, what should I do?!" He heaved a big sigh. 

Gokudera frowned as well. This really wasn’t good. Perhaps they really should do something to help this along. After all, they all needed to have a cool head before the mission began. 

But what could they do…? 

The silver-haired teen sighed but forced a smile on his face. “Don’t worry, Tenth. Things will work out.” Gokudera tried to assure his boss. He hoped his words would become true. 

"I hope so." Tsuna sighed once more before finally glancing at Gokudera. "Come on. Let's both eat breakfast for now. I'm starving," he said softly.

 


	25. Target 24: The Testing Phase

Spanner walked down the streets of Namimori carrying a large luggage bag with him. He had all his supplies in it, except for his laptop which Mini Mosca was carrying inside him as he followed after him. 

It had been an easy matter to figure out where Shoichi lived and honestly, Spanner thanked it. He needed a place to work where Xanxus _wasn't_ throwing things and yelling, putting his precious invention in danger. So it wasn't long before Spanner had gathered his things and headed to the only other place he could think of. He knocked on Shoichi's door, practically looking as if he was moving in. 

Since his mother and sister had gone shopping for the day, Shoichi was alone when the he heard someone knock on the front door. The redhead sighed with slight annoyance as he slipped out of his room and towards the entrance. Who could be visiting this early in the morning?

To his surprise, when he opened the door, the Italian foreigner he met the day before yesterday was there waiting for him.

“S-Spanner-san!” Shoichi gaped at the mechanic, slightly shocked to see him standing there. “W-what are you doing here?” he asked, blinking rapidly. 

Shoichi hadn’t expected the other to truly take up his offer to come visit, although he was glad the blonde had actually come. The redhead couldn’t help but to smile slightly. 

Spanner found himself smiling softly when the redhead answered the door. "Yo." He gave the other a small wave. "My boss was giving me a hard time and throwing things, so I needed a quiet place to work. You don't mind, do you?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. 

Shoichi was startled by the request for a moment, but after a second, he merely shook his head and ushered the other inside. “Oh, um, no, not at all!” he said. Shoice wondered what type of boss the blonde had… He sounded scary. 

“Do you need anything? Um, I mean, would you like anything to drink or something?” he specified once the other was inside. 

Spanner walked inside and slipped off his shoes once Shoichi said it was okay. "No, thank you. Mini Mosca has everything I need. You don't need to trouble yourself, Shoichi." He nodded slightly as the little robot followed him inside, giving a polite bow to Shoichi as he entered the house. 

"So where can I work?" he asked, eager to continue. He was almost done and maybe Shoichi could take a look at it too. 

“Oh, um.” Shoichi took a look around his living room, noting the messy state his sister had left it in. He blushed slightly. “I’m sorry about the mess,” he apologized immediately. Even if they hadn’t planned to have guests, there was no reason for being this messy. But his sister was always like this... Shoichi inwardly sighed. 

“You could work in my room if that’s okay with you?” he suggested. 

"I don't mind." Spanner shrugged, glancing around. He always kept his own space pretty messy as well so it didn't really matter to him. In fact, if it wasn't for Mini Mosca cleaning up after him, he'd probably be buried in stuff. 

"Sure. That'd be great, Shoichi." Spanner nodded, extending a hand. "Lead the way." 

Shoichi nodded. “Right.”  

However, once inside his room, Shoichi soon remembered what he had been doing before the other had arrived. With wide eyes and an almost embarrassed blush, Shoichi quickly reached for the magazine that lay on his bed. 

Spanner blinked as he caught a glimpse of what was on the bed before Shoichi picked it up. "What’s that?" he asked, moving over and peeking over the redhead's shoulder. 

It was a music magazine. Spanner pulled back and shot the other a puzzled look. "Oh,” he said. “Do you like music, Shoichi?" he asked curiously as he put down his bag and accepted a lollipop from Mini Mosca. 

Shoichi’s blush increased slightly. “A… a bit,” he confessed almost reluctantly and looked off to the side as he twisted the music magazine behind his back. Shoichi had kept this particular obsession a bit of a secret within his household. He knew his mother was expecting a lot out of him and would be disappointed in him if she found out what he really wanted to do in the future. Although his mother had always enrolled him in the most expensive private schools and cram schools so that could have a good career in the future, the truth was that Shoichi had no real interest in school. He found it too easy and unchallenging, and he would much rather spend his time learning to play music on different types of instruments.                                                                

Spanner sat cross-legged on the floor and began opening up his bag. Inside were a bunch of tools, cables, and a small rectangular container which he took out first. He placed it down next to him as Mini Mosca set up his computer. "That's nice, I guess." Spanner shrugged, not really interested in anything besides mechanics. "What do you play?" 

Shoichi shuffled on his feet slightly. He wasn’t used to talking about these kinds of things with… anyone really. The few friends he did have at school weren’t really interested in music. Everyone at Yumei was mostly focused on studying. It was a bit suffocating at times. 

So it was with a bit of relief easing at his chest that he told the other, “Guitar mostly…although I have been trying to learn to play some other instruments as well lately.” He smiled shyly, looking down at his feet. 

Spanner looked at him. "That's cool. But if you don't mind me saying, Shoichi, I think you're too smart to be a musician," he said before turning to his computer and starting it up. He connected a cable from the laptop to the small container and waited for it to boot up. 

Shoichi looked up at the blonde as he said this and felt pretty taken aback by the other’s remark. He felt pretty embarrassed at the compliment, but at the same time felt the need to defend his interest. “Ah, I don’t know about that.” Shoichi shifted on his feet. “I don’t really… I mean, music can be pretty challenging. It’s more than just about knowing things. You have to create things. And there are endless possibilities about what you can do! I actually find it more stimulating than most of my schoolwork.” Shoichi began to defend his interest passionately, but ended up finishing his statement with a bit of an embarrassed smile. He could feel his stomach begin to shift anxiously and he bit his lip as if the action would help him shut up. He didn’t know why he was babbling all of the sudden. He had never really talked about these things before, but now that he was, it felt like he couldn’t stop. 

Spanner listened to Shoichi as he set up his things. He smiled a bit and turned to look at him. "Sounds a lot like robotics," he pointed out. "It’s a lot more technical, but I think it’s the same basic thing. I made Mini Mosca. Created him all on my own. And it’s definitely more stimulating." He patted Mini Mosca's head, smiling, before turning his attention back to his stuff. He turned on his computer, and as soon as he was able, he opened up what he was working and began typing quickly. "Besides, I think robotics and mechanics are more useful than music. And you've already proven to me that you're more than capable of doing it." He pauses what he was doing and spared another look at the redhead. "I really don't think you'd be a good musician," he told the other bluntly. 

Shoichi’s eyebrows furrowed as he wondered what to say to that. Although he took insult to the other’s assumption— Shoichi was a really good musician!—at the same time, the redhead found himself flushing at the compliment he was being paid. Here was a teen his age who was already well into his career as a technician, and that same teen thought that Shoichi was more than capable of following the same path? It felt a little surreal. 

Shoichi knew, during one of his ventures into the subject, that robotics was a really difficult subject to study. He had found it interesting for a long while, but had completely abandoned it once he began to get more interested in music. 

Now, for some reason, he found himself questioning if that had perhaps been the right choice. What Spanner was saying was true… 

But wait, what was he thinking? That was crazy. Not only would Shoichi be abandoning his dream, but he also would be delving into something he wasn’t exactly confident about. 

“Um…” Shoichi ended up shrugging at the words. “I don’t know…” He bit his lip slightly, looking unsure of what he was saying. It was clear that now that Spanner had brought this up Shoichi was going to be thinking about it. “I’m not sure I’m cut out to do that kind of stuff. I mean, I barely know anything about robotics.” 

Spanner shrugged. "Learn," he said as he turned back to his laptop. The invention was already done. All that was left was the programming part. He had already decided to set the limit at 300,000. Just to play it safe. He had no idea what the Vongola Tenth’s limit was, so it was a good idea to just do a couple minutes extra programming than have his invention fall short. Within seconds, Spanner was dead to the world and lost into his computer. 

Shoichi stared at the blonde, feeling a little stunned at his bluntness. Once again, he was left speechless. Once again, for some reason, he felt embarrassed rather than insulted by the other’s attitude. As he noticed the other begin to lose focus on the outside world, a small smile began to slowly lift at the corner of his lips. He was glad he had met Spanner. The blonde was an interesting person. Shoichi would be sad to see the mechanic go once he was finished with his business in Japan. 

It was with these thoughts that Shoichi moved to sit on his bed, which was behind from where Spanner was sitting. He peeked over the other’s shoulder to see what he was working on. It looked complicated and Shoichi didn’t understand much of it, only that it seemed to be for measuring something. As he watched the other work quietly, Shoichi found himself growing entranced at the other’s work.  

Spanner was silent except for the occasional out loud thought. Usually it was something like, "In case of an overload, I should put this..." and "Perhaps the voice command should be different..." and other such things. 

About an hour later, Spanner's quiet muttering stopped and his eyes lit up. "It’s done!" He grinned, looking proud at his work. He looked up from his laptop and began looking around for the redhead, only to blink in confusion when he didn’t immediately see him. "Shoichi?" Spanner began looking around the room. He didn't notice the other had moved during his work until he turned all the way around. "There you are. When did you get back there?" 

Shoichi, who was still contemplating on the mechanics of what he had seen, blinked in surprise as he was called to attention. “Oh, um, I just wanted to see what you were doing, and I guess I kind of got into it.” He grinned a little sheepishly, moving an idle hand to fiddle with the bridge of his glasses. “I couldn’t really figure it out though. Just that it’s seems to be for measuring those flames you were talking to me about yesterday.” 

Spanner nodded. "Sort of. You want to come see it in action? I'm going off to test it right now," he said, disconnecting the cable from the container. Mini Mosca began to putting things away. Spanner left the bag he had brought in the room for now and got up to his feet as he waited for Shoichi's response. It seemed he wanted the redhead to come. 

Shoichi’s eyes widened at the offer. “I’d love to!” He grinned, looking equally as excited. “Where are we going to go?” Shoichi slid off the bed and moved to follow the blonde. 

"To the young Vongola's house. Do you know him?" Spanner smiled and headed out of the house with Mini Mosca trailing after him. "Come on." When they started walking down the streets, it was Mini Mosca who was leading the way with his GPS. 

Shoichi shook his head, although the name Vongola sounded oddly familiar for some reason. He followed Spanner and Mini Mosca as they began to head out the street, making sure to text both his mother and sister that he was going out after he finished locking up. He engaged the mechanic in conversation for a while as they walked to their destination. However, the longer they walked, the more Shoichi’s stomach began to twist uncomfortably. It wasn’t until it was too late that he realized where they had arrived. 

Upon arriving in front of the Sawada household, Mini Mosca beeped. Spanner smiled down at the robot, looking at it with gratefulness. "Thank you, Mini Mosca," he said, before stepping forward to knock on the door. 

It only took a minute before the door opened. Tsuna blinked in surprise upon seeing who was standing at his door. "Oh! Spanner! Nice to see you." The brunette smiled at the sight of the other. 

As the door of the Sawada household opened, Shoichi’s stomach began to ache in a horrible manner. “Y-you know these people?!” Shoichi found himself squeaking once he regained use of his voice. His eyes widened dramatically and his complexion turned paler. 

Spanner and Tsuna both blinked at the other's panic. "Don't worry, Shoichi," Spanner said, slightly confused. "There's nothing wrong with Vongola. In fact, he's a lot better than my current boss." 

Tsuna sighed. He didn't really know what to say in response; anyone was better than Xanxus. He looked back to the panicked redhead and tried his best to be friendly. "My name's Sawada Tsunayoshi. Are you a friend of Spanner's?" he asked, giving a smile.

Shoichi stammered wide-eyed and took a step backwards in response, seemingly unable to get over his terror. His arms were cradling his stomach protectively and he looked rather nauseous. 

 _Oh god, why did we have to come here? I told myself I was never going to come back!_ The redhead inwardly anguished as images of that dreaded day began to suddenly come forth in his mind, making the redhead shudder. He shook his head then, firmly, and shut his eyes. “I-I…!” The redhead struggled to speak, but he was finally able to stutter out a sentence, though it mostly came out as a whimper. “I think I forgot to do something! Sorry, Spanner! Gotta go!”  Shoichi turned around quickly and he was about to run as far, far away as he could, but it was at that moment that Lambo jumped out the second-floor window and landed on the redhead’s head, the impact sending the other’s glasses clattering down on the ground.  

“PWAHAHA! The great Lambo-san is here!” Lambo’s hands were on his hips and he was grinning widely as he spotted Tsuna. “Tsunaaa! Play with me!” the young cow demanded as he turned around to face his fifteen-year-old “brother.” It appeared that Lambo had already recovered from the incident that had happened this morning. 

"Lambo!" Tsuna hurried forward and picked the young Bovino off of the redhead. "You can't just jump on to people's heads like that!" he scolded, shooting the redhead an apologetic frown. 

Spanner frowned slightly and looked at the other boy. "Shoichi? Are you alright?" The redhead looked sick to his stomach and Spanner wondered what was wrong. 

Shoichi just groaned in response and hesitantly moved to pick up his glasses. 

Lambo, on the other hand, finally seemed to notice their guests. “Ah!” the young Bovino exclaimed and hurriedly squirmed out of Tsuna’s arms. “It’s you!” He grinned wildly and began to jump up the redhead. “Hey, hey! Play with me!” he demanded. 

"Lambo!" Tsuna reached for Lambo again. "Why don't you go play with I-Pin or something?!" he asked with a frustrated huff. 

Spanner was holding the container protectively, not liking how destructive Lambo looked. But he looked at Shoichi with a bit of worry and reached out, squeezing his shoulder. 

Shoichi flinched a little at the touch, and his eyes darted about as if wary that strange babies and even stranger bikini-wearing women would start to come out if Shoichi so much as blinked. “S-Spanner…do you mind if I wait out here?” he stammered, and tried his best to avoid looking at either Lambo or Tsuna. Although the redhead didn’t actually mind the five-year-old that much, he definitely didn’t want to get involved with the people of this household any more than was necessary. 

“Nooooo!” Lambo cried out upon hearing the redhead’s remark, and began to squirm more furiously. “This guy is Lambo-san’s minion! You hafta play with me!” The cow pouted, flailing his arms desperately. 

"It’s okay. We're going to leave now, anyway," Spanner said with a nod. 

"We are?" Tsuna blinked, holding Lambo at arm’s length as the young boy flailed about. Spanner nodded and lifted the container a bit. Tsuna blinked for a second time before he looked at the little cow. "Lambo! If you behave here at home, I'll buy you a huge lollipop on my way back." 

Lambo stopped flailing for a second… but soon, he began to get antsy again. “But I want one now!” he demanded. “Gimme, gimme!” 

"Augh!" Tsuna told his guests to hold on for a second before heading inside with Lambo in his arms. He got some candy that they had left and gave it to Lambo before telling him to behave as he headed back out. "…Let's hurry before he comes back," he muttered with a sigh. 

Spanner nodded. 

"Come on, Shoichi," he said, patting the redhead's shoulder as they headed back to the sidewalk. Once again, Mini Mosca was leading the way. 

Shoichi shot the brunette a wary glance but reluctantly began to follow, albeit from afar. This trip was much quieter on his part as he still felt petrified at the presence of the young brunette. Although Shoichi didn’t remember much of what happened on _that_ day, the little that he did still sent shivers down his back. Because of this, every now and then the redhead would keep shooting the fifteen-year-old short wary glances before biting his lip and looking down to the ground. 

 _Just how is Spanner involved with these crazy people?_ Shoichi wondered as they walked, noticing with relief that his stomachache was beginning to subside. 

Tsuna noticed the glances and felt a bit awkward. Did he look scary? He glanced once or twice to the redhead and cleared his throat. "So, um. Shoichi-san, was it?" He gave the other his best friendly smile. "How do you know Spanner?" 

Shoichi startled slightly, growing wide-eyed upon being addressed by the brunette. “I, uh…” The redhead swallowed slightly and focused on the floor. “I only just met him a couple of days ago actually,” he told the other quietly. “He helped me get home after I got stranded at the mountains.” The redhead laughed nervously, and rubbed at his arm as he glanced up at the other once more. The smile helped him relax somewhat and he returned it with a small hesitant one of his own. 

Tsuna blinked. "Stranded at the mountains?" he muttered before looking at Spanner. "Oh, it must have been after you helped me two days ago..." he said as Spanner nodded in confirmation. Tsuna looked back at Shoichi, glad he was calming down. "I don't know Spanner for longer than a few days myself but he's already been a good friend." 

Spanner blinked at that and scratched his head. "It’s not that, Vongola. I just see something unfinished and I have to fix it. It’s how I am." 

"Regardless," Tsuna smiled, "you're really helping me out, and I'm grateful," he said. 

Spanner smiled at that. He was never used to receiving such gratitude. Tsuna was quickly climbing his respect levels. 

Shoichi watched this exchange with a small frown on his face, beginning to feel slightly confused. Sawada seemed to actually be a normal guy after all…. A nice one to boot. Had Shoichi actually been anxious for no reason? Actually, had he perhaps only imagined _that_ day? The fact that Shoichi didn’t remember much of it made it all seem like it had been a dream… Although he was sure he had visited, perhaps his imagination had turned a perfectly normal day into a nightmare? 

It wasn't much longer until they got to the top of the mountain that still had craters and burn marks across the top. Spanner panted slightly once they finally stopped. He was never going to get used to this. Mini Mosca produced three glasses of water and handed them out. Spanner and Shoichi drank theirs gratefully while Tsuna only took a few sips, not really tired. 

"So, Spanner, what is it you have for me?" the brunette asked, looking at the mechanic. 

Spanner glanced at Shoichi and smiled, waving his hand in a motion that gestured he wanted the redhead to sit down. Spanner wanted Shoichi to watch how his invention worked. 

The blonde reached into his pocket as he turned back to look at Tsuna, and he opened the container he had showed the other earlier. 

Tsuna blinked. "Contacts?" He leaned in, looking at the two small items. "But I don't have vision problems." 

"They're Battle Contacts, Vongola. I invented them myself," Spanner said proudly. "Please put them in." 

Shoichi quietly observed as Spanner handed over what he had been working on. His eyebrows furrowed at the name of the invention. What did battling contacts have to do with measuring flames? Shoichi didn’t really get it, but he felt a little bit uneasy. 

Tsuna looked at Spanner and wet his fingers with the water so they wouldn't be all dirty. It actually took several minutes of wincing and blinking before Tsuna was able to apply both contacts. He also put on the headset that Spanner handed over. Tsuna blinked a couple times before he put on his gloves and took out the Dying Will pills, swallowing them. As his forehead and hands burst into flames, the contacts started up. Several graphs and numbers flickered into his vision. 

“Whoa,” Tsuna said. 

“W-what!?” Shoichi gaped in utter shock as he saw the brunette begin to spout flames through his body. He suddenly understood the reason behind the invention’s name. His unease increased exponentially. 

Unaware of the reaction he was causing, Tsuna took a moment to marvel at the graphs and numbers that appeared in his vision. "Spanner, what do these graphs mean?" he asked, looking at the blonde.  
  
"They'll measure the flames in each hand," Spanner explained. "To start the X-Burner, you need to have the equal number of Fiamma Volts on each hand. When you have balance, you'll fire a perfect X-Burner." Spanner smiled at the thought of it. "I put in a voice command to start the program. All you have to do is say 'Operation: X' and the contacts will do the rest." The blonde then moved to sit down, taking the computer from Mini Mosca and setting up the instrument to measure Fiamma Voltage. He wanted this to be perfect. He wanted this to work.  
  
"Alright..." Tsuna looked forward again, looking at all the numbers he didn't really understand. He decided to just ignore them for now and did as the blonde advised him to. "Operation: X," he murmured.  
  
"Roger, Boss," a female mechanical voice spoke through his headset and suddenly all the numbers and graphs disappeared, replaced by a single circle with two lines, both on zero. It didn't take long for Tsuna to realize that one part of the circle was for his left hand and the other was for his right. He quickly took the position and began charging up his soft flames. The dial of his right hand went up and the soft flames pulsed behind him. Tsuna started building up the hard flames then.  
  
"100,000 Fiamma Volts," the female voice said after a few moments, but the dial kept going up. Tsuna felt like he could do more. But the farther it went, the more nervous Tsuna got. When the voice informed him that he was at 150,000 Fiamma Volts, Tsuna decided to let it go. He needed to see if the contacts even worked before he tried something too big. He made sure the lines on the graph were even before he let it loose.  
  
"X-Burner!" Tsuna whispered, and then the hard flames shot forward in a wide blast, taking out a huge part of the edge of the mountain along with a big chunk of the forest. The damage was incredible, but what really astounded Tsuna was the fact that shooting the X-Burner barely took any effort. The contacts had worked. 

Shoichi watched this scene in disbelief. His eyes continued to widen further and further as he saw the other’s flames— _flames!_ —increase in magnitude. And then, his jaw dropped open and he felt his heart skip a beat as suddenly, the flames incinerated a good part of their surroundings. 

“W-wha…What?!” Shoichi stammered in shock, unable to process what he had just seen. “T-the mountain! And the forest too!” he whispered to himself incredulously. One minute they were there, and the next…! 

 _W-who the hell is this guy?!_ Shoichi swallowed loudly, once again beginning to question his sanity. 

 _This isn’t actually possible, it can’t be, right?_ Shoichi tried to reassure himself. _I’m either dreaming or insane…_  

Spanner's eyes were wide. It was beautiful. He was so busy watching the actual X-Burner that he didn't bother to look at the readings on his laptop screen. He already knew that the attack was perfect. "Amazing!" He stood up, his eyes almost shining with pride. _He_ had done that. _He_ was the one responsible for that wonderful perfection. 

Tsuna smiled brightly as he stopped the attack and looked at his hands. He allowed the flames to dissipate and grinned broadly at the mechanic. "Spanner, it’s perfect! Thank you so much!" 

Spanner beamed with even more pride before looking at Shoichi. Through his excitement, he didn't notice the other's fear and nervousness. "Did you see that, Shoichi?!" He practically bounced on his heels. 

Shoichi flinched diminutively upon being addressed and with wide eyes began to nod slowly, as if suddenly realizing the position he was in. 

 _Oh god, are they going to kill me? Is this why they brought me out here? Is it because of the incident last time?!_ Shoichi began to panic. 

Spanner blinked twice as he finally noticed Shoichi's shock and panic. "Shoichi? Are you okay?" he asked, crouching down next to him and tilting his head slightly. 

"Ah... Maybe you should take him home, Spanner..." Tsuna said softly, recognizing panic and fear when he saw it. 

Shoichi inched back a bit as the blonde closed in on him and upon hearing Sawada’s careless remark,he couldn’t help but to gulp nervously. _Oh god, they know where I live…_ he realized with a traumatized whimper. And it was at this moment that he finally broke. 

“Please _please_ don’tkillme!” he squeaked, feeling his stomach begin to cramp. His heartbeat raced rapidly in fear. 

Spanner looked taken aback. "Shoichi, what are you talking about? No one's going to kill you," he said, tilting his head in confusion. "Vongola, here, wouldn't hurt a fly." 

Tsuna put his gloves away and lifted his hands as a sign of peace. "I'm sorry about scaring you! I really didn't mean it!" he said quickly. He wondered what exactly he should do in this sort of situation... 

Shoichi shut his eyes and shook his head wildly. “I didn’t see anything! I swear! And I promise to give you back the box! So please don’t kill me!” he insisted rather urgently. 

"Wh-what box?!" Tsuna's eyes widened. "Listen, I'm not going to hurt you!" 

Spanner held his lollipop stick and sighed slightly. "Shoichi. Let's go home," he said, packing up his laptop. If this went on, Vongola would start panicking too. Mini Mosca moved over to Shoichi and patted his shoulder, trying to be reassuring. 

Shoichi didn’t seem to hear the blonde and instead hunched his shoulders in a defensive manner. “The box! Lambo-san’s box!” the redhead exclaimed, sounding half-exasperated and half-crazed. “I’m sorry for not giving it back before, but…” His voice wobbled here. “I just didn’t want to go back to that house.” He whimpered. 

Tsuna blinked several times. "Lambo's... box? I... I don't know what you're talking about." He shook his head. "Shoichi-san, I think this is a misunderstanding! I've never heard of any box!" 

Spanner watched the exchange between the two, growing curious. 

“Y-you... you haven’t?” Shoichi’s head snapped up to look at the brunette. His eyes were wide and anxious and his breath slightly uneven. He had been sure the other had known about it. The reason he had avoided going back to the other’s house was mostly because he thought they had been trying to kill him after seeing the contents of the box. But if that wasn’t so… 

 _Is that house just completely insane for no reason…?_ Shoichi shuddered. 

"No!" Tsuna shook his head quickly. "Lambo hasn't mentioned a box to me, and I haven't heard anything like that." He sighed slightly. "To think this was all just a misunderstanding..." In a way, he was relieved. In another, he was curious. What sort of box could Shoichi be talking about? Well, it didn't matter anyway. It had nothing to do with him. 

Shoichi twitched slightly at the other’s words. While the redhead did feel slightly relieved that no one was out to kill him, there was no denying that there was something odd going on in the Sawada household. He shuddered just thinking about that place, and pointedly avoided looking at the destruction the innocent-looking brunette had caused. 

Spanner was relieved that things settled down. He came up to his feet and Mini Mosca followed after him after picking up his computer. "Come on, Shoichi. Let's go home," he said, reaching out a hand to help Shoichi up. 

“Ah, Spanner. The contacts-” Tsuna started. 

"Keep them, Vongola. They're made for you, after all." 

Tsuna smiled in reply. 

Shoichi took a second to accept the offered hand, but was quick to retract it back to his side once he was up. He still felt a little nervous about the situation he was in. Now that he knew these two were associated, Shoichi wanted to question the mechanic a little bit more, especially since he seemed mostly normal compared to his acquaintance… Perhaps he would even be able to get rid of the box by asking Spanner to deliver it. 

The idea filled him with relief, though at the same time, it made him realize that Spanner himself might not be normal as he appeared. The redhead bit his lip slightly at this thought and fiddled with his glasses as he quietly watched the two exchange goodbyes. 

Spanner gave Tsuna the container for the contacts before turning to Shoichi and nodding. "Okay, let's go." He looked forward and sighed when he realized they'd have to scale the mountain again. "Down the mountain..." he muttered as Mini Mosca led the way back to Namimori. 

Shoichi nodded jerkily, swallowing nervously as he gave Sawada a small hurried bow and followed after Spanner. Once they were well down the mountain, Shoichi couldn’t help but to finally ask, “Um, Spanner…san?” he added the suffix a bit hesitantly, still feeling intimidated by the day’s events. 

"Just call me Spanner," the mechanic said as they walked, glancing back towards the redhead. "And what is it?" He held the lollipop stick and twirled the candy in his mouth as he waited for Shoichi to speak. 

Shoichi nodded slightly at the correction before continuing his question. “Um, may I ask… just who exactly you work for?” Shoichi figured that was a good way to start. 

Spanner scratched his head at that. "Well, right now I work for a group called the Varia. But I think..." He thought about it for a moment before smiling as if he reached a decision. "I'm going to quit and stay here in Japan. I'd much rather work for the young Vongola." 

“Vongola…?” Shoichi’s brows furrowed at the other’s response, knowing he was referring to Sawada but still not quite understanding what the blonde was explaining. He bit his lip, wondering if it would be alright to inquire a bit more. It really wasn’t anything of his business, but… 

After thinking on it a bit more, the redhead just sighed. Perhaps it was better not to ask after all. Shoichi had a feeling that once he found out, nothing would be quite the same anymore. 

Spanner nodded. "Let's go back to your house, Shoichi. I'm hungry," he said, stretching his arms above his head and effectively inviting himself over once more. 

Shoichi nodded absentmindedly, still thinking about everything that had happened today. He followed the mechanic and his robot almost automatically back to his home. 

It wouldn’t be until much later that he would realize that Spanner had no intention of leaving his house any time soon…

 

* * *

 

“150,000 Fiamma Volts.” 

 _/ Keep going. /_  

Tsuna clenched his teeth slightly as his flames continued to increase in intensity. The robot voice soon informed him that he was at 200,000. It was a lot. A lot of power. And he felt Zero continuing to nudge for more. But there was something in the back of his mind that made him not want to continue. Tsuna shot off the X-Burner that was significantly more powerful than the one he had shot off before. 

Once again, it barely took an effort to do. 

 _/ Why did you stop? The contacts can handle more. /_  

“Yeah, well, I don’t think I can.” Tsuna frowned and sat down on the floor with a small sigh. Zero was silent for a long while before Tsuna heard him again. 

 _/ You’ve been doing a good job. I was wrong about you when I said you were useless. /_  

Tsuna’s eyes widened at the voices admission and he stayed silent, just continuing to listen. 

 _/ You’ve been training hard and improving… But you still have more to fix. /_  

Tsuna sighed at that. “I know. I know I’m not perfect. I know there’s a lot of ways I can improve myself.” 

 _/ Yes. You’re right. But I wasn’t only talking about fixing yourself. /_  

Tsuna frowned. “Then… what?” But Zero fell silent and refused to answer. Regardless, Tsuna felt something. A certain comfortable feeling washed through him and he knew that a tension inside of him he wasn’t aware of until now had loosened and relaxed. Tsuna found himself smiling. 

Now that he was finished testing the contacts out, Tsuna removed them and placed them back into the container Spanner had given him before heading down the mountain and back home. 

But once Tsuna arrived home, he knew he wouldn’t be getting a rest any time soon. He saw Reborn sitting in the kitchen, sipping at an espresso. The Sun Arcobaleno was staring at a wall with an intent look of concentration covering his face. Tsuna bit his lip and opened his mouth to speak, but he felt something heavy step on his foot. He looked down and saw a crocodile. 

"HIIIIII!!!" Tsuna shrieked and scrambled back as the crocodile looked up at him. Much to his surprise, it didn't bite his head off. 

"Vongola. Good to see you." Tsuna jumped again and turned a bit. Verde was standing on the back of the crocodile as it walked inside the house. He was also carrying the Ten Year Bazooka. 

"V-Verde! It’s you!" Tsuna was astonished, but he didn’t have time to think much on this as he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. 

"Took you long enough." It was Reborn. The baby had his usual smug smirk crossing his lips, though there was a certain hardness to his voice. 

It was at this moment that Nana walked into the kitchen as well. Upon noticing the occupants of the room, she blinked in surprise. “Oh? Another one of Reborn-chan’s friends?” she asked with a small grin. “I’ve been seeing so many of them lately!” she exclaimed with a happy laugh, and upon seeing the crocodile in her kitchen, she laughed a bit more. “Oh, what a cute toy!” She giggled before finally turning to face her son. “Well, I’m going to head out for a bit, okay, Tsu-kun? So take care of the kids for me!” she said, before waving them all a goodbye and leaving the house. 

 _She thinks it’s a toy!!_ Tsuna thought with horror as his mother walked straight past the dangerous animal with nothing more than a smile. "Y-yeah! Bye, Mom...!" he called out after her in a nervous voice, before looking at Verde again. 

"Go find Lambo, Tsuna," Reborn said as soon as Nana was gone, and he hopped off of the brunette's shoulder. "We should test the bazooka." 

"Ah... Yeah. Okay," Tsuna muttered uneasily and looked back to see the two Arcobaleno talking quietly to each other as he left. 

At this moment, Lambo was upstairs, humming mischievously as he pilfered through Tsuna’s room in hopes of finding something interesting to do. He was making quite a mess, although I-Pin and Fuuta were trying their best to calm him down and clean up before Tsuna returned. 

“Lambo! You’re going to get us all in trouble!” Fuuta complained loudly as he tried to grab the pajama wearing boy, who was currently under Tsuna’s bed, peeking through his things. 

Tsuna went upstairs to look for the little cow when he heard a commotion coming from his room. He hurried over and his eyes widened. "Lambo!" He looked around at the utter mess of his room that he had struggled to keep clean these past few months. "What are you doing?!" 

Tsuna’s voice made Lambo freeze momentarily, giving Fuuta a chance to drag him out from under the bed. Lambo began squirming immediately while avoiding looking at Tsuna’s eyes. Fuuta, on the other hand, turned to look at Tsuna with a sulky expression on his face. “Tsuna-nii…!” he cried out in an apologetic tone. “I’m sorry, we tried to stop him, but…” Fuuta turned on his puppy eyes on his big brother so he wouldn’t get scolded. 

“I-Pin sorry…” the Chinese girl apologized as well, looking down at the floor sadly. 

Tsuna looked at Fuuta and gave a small sigh, knowing that what he said had to be true. So he turned on Lambo instead. "Lambo! You can't mess up people's rooms like that! I worked really hard to keep it clean and you messed it up!" he scolded. "No more sweets for you today!" 

At these words, Lambo immediately whined. “NO FAIR!” he exclaimed as he jumped down from Fuuta’s arms. “Lambo-san didn’t do anything bad! And… and you promised! Gimme! Gimme!” the cow demanded, beginning to throw a tantrum as he attacked Tsuna’s legs with his tiny fists. 

"I promised to buy you candy only if you behaved!" Tsuna picked Lambo up and held him at arm's length. "This is not behaving!" 

"Lambo and I-Pin will help clean up the mess!" the small Chinese girl piped up, hoping to defuse the situation. 

Tsuna sighed slightly. "Yeah. But right now, Lambo, you have a visitor, so we're going downstairs. If you behave nice, I'll buy you the candy." 

Lambo sulked slightly at the prospect of cleaning up and made a face, but he didn’t say anything in protest. 

“I’ll help too.” Fuuta offered as well, smiling up at his big bro. 

Tsuna finally gave a smile at the three kids. "Okay, we'll clean this up after Lambo and I are done downstairs. Thanks, you two," he said before he took Lambo down to the kitchen. 

Lambo let himself be carried down to the kitchen, sticking out his tongue at I-Pin as they left the room. But the moment they entered the kitchen and saw Reborn, Lambo’s relaxed attitude disappeared within a second and he stared at his fellow hitman with wide, fearful eyes. Clearly, the incident from earlier today had been remembered. 

Verde smirked a bit at the sight of Lambo and held up the Ten Year Bazooka. "Ah, yes. Finally. Now, to explain my improvements," he said, putting down his cup of tea to hold the bazooka in both hands. "I've extended the time to 15 minutes. But the Bazooka has to be charged with Lightning Flames first. The ones from the Vongola Ring should suffice." 

"Eh? But Lambo doesn't know how to light the ring." Tsuna frowned, still holding the toddler in his arms. 

"Easy." Reborn stood up and stared straight at Lambo. He jumped forward and grabbed Lambo's ring, slipping it on the five-year-old’s wrist like one would a watch, before swiftly kicking him in the face and across the room. 

"Reborn!" Tsuna's eyes widened. 

The already fearful Lambo was already trying to run away when Reborn reached him, whining loudly and mostly incomprehensibly. This was immediately put to a stop once Reborn vaulted him into the wall. 

There was a moment of silence then, before… 

“W-WHAAAAAAA!” Lambo’s loud voice echoed throughout the house. His distress immediately activated the green flames of his ring. 

"Reborn! You can't do that!" Tsuna looked at the Sun Arcobaleno, seeing how scared Lambo had been. Reborn shot him a dark glare before turning back to Lambo. 

"Here we go." Verde looked unfazed by the commotion and tossed the Ten Year Bazooka at the toddler. The large weapon fell over Lambo, which was covered in the Lightning Flames that were being emitted by the Vongola Ring. The explosion that resulted had a bit more force than usual. Pink smoke enveloped the entire kitchen. 

“Yare, yare, not this again…” the voice of Adult Lambo murmured lowly from under all that smoke. His voice sounded more whiny than usual today, almost childishly so. 

As the smoke dispersed, the now-fifteen-year old was finally revealed. Adult Lambo sat on the floor, one arm resting over a bent knee while the other was inclined behind him, supporting his weight on the floor. The now-fifteen-year old looked surprisingly… ravished. His cheeks looked flushed and his shirt was in its usual state of disarray, although this time a couple of more buttons were opened. He also had a lipstick stain that was peeking out from under his collar. 

Overall, he looked rather annoyed at the moment, and shot Reborn a knowing, resentful glare. 

Reborn took one look at him and several moments passed before he smiled, relishing in the other's annoyance and resentment. But a small part of him was eating away at the back of his mind. Lambo, the useless cow, was getting some? Reborn decided to push this thought away for a little while. "Well, if this lasts for fifteen minutes, we'll know you succeeded, Verde," Reborn said with a smirk. 

Tsuna was staring at Adult Lambo with slightly wide eyes. What exactly had the fifteen-year-old been getting up to...?! 

Lambo twitched, and a vein of anger pulsed on his forehead at Reborn’s words. “You mean I’m going to be stuck here for fifteen minutes?!” he protested irritably, before narrowing his eyes and shooting a dark glare at Reborn. 

He then blinked twice blankly, the anger vanishing as he realized what he just said. “Hey, wait…” He turned to face Verde now. “You actually really messed with that thing? What the hell were you thinking? That’s dangerous!” he protested once more, beginning to look worried. 

At the protests, the crocodile at Verde's feet snapped at Lambo. "Don't worry, little Bovino." The Arcobaleno smiled. "There is nothing I can't do when it comes to technology." 

"And if it works here, you'll have a new bazooka in the future too," Reborn said, still smirking a bit at Lambo's anger. "So be grateful." 

Lambo flinched back from the crocodile, which he had only just noticed. However, his utter irritation at Reborn appeared to have managed to override his fear. “What exactly am I supposed to be grateful for?!” He scowled at him, glaring. “Why do you always have to be so—ugh! You have no right to mess with things that don’t belong to you, Reborn!” Lambo protested. He looked like he wanted to say more, but for once, the now-adult Bovino remained steaming in silence as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

 _That stupid, cocky, know-it-all bastard!_ Adult Lambo mentally ranted, digging his nails into his arms. _This stupid thing isn’t useful at all! It’s just a pain in the ass! And it’s not like I’m even allowed to use the Ten Year Bazooka in the future anymore…_  

Lambo would love to shove that particular fact at the stupid Arcobaleno’s face, but the one thing he had learned ever since he had become a more active member of the Vongola Family was that he needed to hold his tongue, especially when he was transported back to the past. 

 _You have no right!_ Reborn tensed as Dino's face flashed in his mind. He jumped forward and grabbed the collar of Lambo's shirt. "Shut up, you stupid cow," he said, his voice cold and sharp. "The battle is happening in a few days and you better be ready by then. Because whether you like it or not, you're fighting." 

"R-Reborn..." Tsuna took a couple steps forward. "Please calm down, there's no reason to—" 

"Shut up, No-Good-Tsuna." Reborn glared at the brunette with such ferocity that Tsuna actually flinched. He looked back at Lambo. "I'm sick of kids complaining about things they don't know anything about. You're a Vongola Guardian. This is your duty. If I hear one more complaint out of you, I'll kill you where you stand," he spoke lowly before dropping down and walking out to the yard. 

Lambo stood petrified as Reborn grabbed him tightly by his collar, feeling the other almost choke him with his fierce grip. At his words, a chill ran down his spine and his eyes, both of them, widened in fear—because Lambo really had no doubt that the other really would kill him if he said another word. 

So the now-adult cow wisely held his tongue and kept still where he was as he watched the other march off. But the moment Reborn was finally out of sight, Lambo’s knees immediately gave out and he slid down to the floor with a painful thump. 

Unbeknownst to him, a trail of terrified tears had begun falling down his pale, ashen cheeks. 

"L-Lambo..." Tsuna moved over and knelt down next to him. "Lambo, are you okay?" Of course he wasn't okay. It was a stupid thing to say. Reborn had gone way too far. Tsuna bit his lip and placed a timid hand on the other's shoulder, trying to soothe him. 

Lambo flinched slightly at the other’s touch, but then relaxed into it. He felt a bit of his tension ease out of him, but he still remained hurt and confused, not to mention scared. “W-what wrong with him?” Lambo whispered, biting his quivering lip as his brows furrowed in confusion. He had never seen Reborn get that mad, at least not towards a member of the Family. That angry Reborn had only ever been directed to the enemy. 

Tsuna sighed slightly and placed his hand more firmly on Lambo's shoulder. "Reborn got into a fight with Dino-san this morning... But I didn't think he was this angry." He glanced out the window towards the yard. "Regardless, it’s not your fault, Lambo. Don't worry." 

Verde gave an impressed whistle, having watched the scene with a smirk. "Interesting. Very interesting~" 

Lambo sniffled slightly and nodded at Tsuna’s words, wiping his tears. At the Lightning Arcobaleno’s input, however, Lambo couldn’t help but to shoot the baby an inappreciative glare. _This is really all **his** fault…_ Lambo thought, feeling both irritated and anxious as his mind went back to his current problem. _If he hadn’t messed with the bazooka—_ Lambo stopped that trail of thought as he realized he had been in this time for more than five minutes already. This fact made Lambo groan inconsolably. 

He then turned desperately keen eyes towards the young Vongola Tenth. “You’ll take care of my younger self, right, Decimo?” the cow asked him anxiously. 

Tsuna looked at Lambo and nodded. "Of course. Don't you worry," he said with a soft, reassuring smile. "Once the younger Lambo comes back, I'm going to take him out to buy some candy." He gently squeezed the other's shoulder. "So you can go back knowing everything will be fine." He'd have to make sure that Reborn and little Lambo were separated for a while. 

At these words, Lambo gave the brunette a slight fond smile but then shook his head, wanting to specify what he had meant. “That’s not quite what I—” However, before Adult Lambo could finish speaking, there was a bright pink burst of smoke announcing the return of his five-year-old counterpart. 

Thankfully, the young Bovino was no longer crying. However, it looked like his previous sulky bad mood was back, for he looked ready to throw a new tantrum. 

"Exactly fifteen minutes." Verde checked the clock. "My work here is done." He hopped back on top of his crocodile. "See you, Vongola." He smirked at Tsuna as the crocodile left the house. 

Tsuna watched Verde go before looking back at Lambo, wondering for a moment what Adult Lambo had been about to say. But he brushed it off for now. "Hey, Lambo. Why don't we go out for candy?" he offered with a smile. 

Lambo’s eyes widened for a second. “R-really?” the young cow gaped at this sudden unexpected offer. Considering that they still had to clean up the mess he had _not_ made, Lambo was ecstatic to hear these words. “Hehehe, yeah! Let’s go! Let’s go!” he called out excitedly, his eyes shining. 

Tsuna smiled a bit and stood up. "Fuuta! I-Pin! We're going out for candy! Come on down and join us!" he called up the stairs before leaning down to put his shoes on. 

I-Pin came bounding down the stairs and smiled happily. "I-Pin wants strawberry!" she announced happily. 

“Can we get chocolate, Tsuna-nii?” Fuuta grinned as he too bounded down to the kitchen with a bounce on his step. 

“Lambo-san is gonna eat them all!” the boy exclaimed, laughing boisterously in response to that. 

"Alright, alright! We'll get something for each of you." Tsuna smiled. "Let's go, and don't run too far," he said as he led the group out of the house. As he headed to the sidewalk, he gave a single glance backwards and his eyes connected with Reborn's. The Sun Arcobaleno was standing on the wall, watching them. Reborn kept the eye contact before he looked away, his hat hiding his eyes. The baby jumped back into the yard then, out of sight. 

Tsuna sighed slightly before he was quickly swept away by the excited children. 

Perhaps Reborn would be better tomorrow.

 


	26. Target 25: Training Complete!

 

* * *

**DAY SIX**

* * *

 

Reborn was not better. Tsuna was awoken by a swift kick to his head and his face crashing into the wall. His previous injuries flared up at this abuse and he held his nose gingerly, noting it was likely going to bruise. "REBORN!" Tsuna shouted in his usual way, rubbing his face. But Reborn didn't respond like usual. Tsuna felt himself get jerked forward as Reborn grabbed his shirt and tugged him up. 

"There's only a couple more days until we fight the Vendetta," Reborn said as Leon transformed into a gun. "And you haven't been doing anything these past two days."  
  
Tsuna paled.  
  
"Die."  
  
 _BLAM!_  
  
"REBOOOORRNN!!! TRAIN AS IF I WERE TO DIIIEE!!!"  
  
The next thing Tsuna knew, the Dying Will Flame was fading away and his fist was inches from knocking on Xanxus' door.  
  
He was also in his boxers.  
  
"HIIIII!" Tsuna jumped away from the door as if it were going to bite him and backpedaled into the opposite wall. It was then that he noticed he wasn't completely naked. He had a backpack on. Tsuna took it off and opened it. Inside was a change of clothes, the contacts container, and his headset. Tsuna quickly ran and found a bathroom, putting everything on. As he put his contacts on in front of the mirror, his mind wandered. Reborn... What was he going to do? The Arcobaleno still seemed angry. Unnaturally so. Tsuna wondered if he would even have the energy to deal with it when Xanxus was done with him.   
  
Tsuna blinked a couple tears out of his eyes as the contacts settled. He dried his face and sighed at his reflection. "I'm going..." he murmured. 

 _/ Best of luck. /_  
  
Tsuna smiled a bit at Zero's response before he headed to Xanxus' hotel room once more and knocked on the door. 

Unsurprisingly, Xanxus was in a bad mood. For him, these past two days had been entirely irritating, and the fact that he had no one to take that out on only made his mood marginally worse. 

The thing was that although Xanxus greatly enjoyed the fact that none of his shitty subordinates were around, as well as the fact that the scum he was being forced to train hadn't come around to bother him, Xanxus found himself becoming... bored.   

And that? That was never a good thing.  

So when the Varia leader heard the hesitant knock on his door announce the presence of that stupid brat he was training, Xanxus couldn't help the wide, dark grin that spread across his face.  

"It's about fucking time..." he muttered darkly under his breath and then stormed over to open the door.  

Tsuna had expected a subordinate, perhaps even Spanner, to answer the door. But when he saw Xanxus towering over him at the door, he realized he had forgotten how intimidating the other could be.  
  
"X-Xanxus!" he squeaked, jumping back. The brunette bit his lip and tried to speak without losing his nerve once more. "I-I've been working hard...! I-I think I'm ready to face you again!" Tsuna gulped. He didn't like the almost predatory grin on the other's face and he felt more like running back home. 

"Still stating the fucking obvious, you useless scum?" Xanxus scoffed as he stepped out into the hall, pushing the other out of the way as he did so. 

Xanxus almost seemed eager when he shoved Tsuna against the opposite wall of the hallway. It was something that Tsuna dreaded because if Xanxus was eager for anything, it was to beat the crap out of Tsuna himself. He gulped and rubbed his arm as he followed after Xanxus in silence.  
  
They arrived at the—by now thoroughly abused—mountain top, and Tsuna was already putting on his gloves, knowing by now that Xanxus always liked to surprise attack him. 

Upon arriving at the mountain, Xanxus couldn't help but to uncharacteristically raise a brow at the sheer amount of destruction displayed. However, he wasn't intimidated by this whatsoever, merely excited.  

"Heh, it seems like you’ve finally managed to improve a little, scum." Xanxus smirked, looking sadistically pleased. His flames brightly sprouted out of his own ring then, their intensity clearly portraying the Varia leader's excitement. 

Tsuna swallowed the pills and was soon in Hyper Dying Will Mode. He looked at Xanxus and remembered for a moment their first battle. Tsuna knew that both of them had increased in power significantly since then. But now would be the moment of truth. This fight would show how much Tsuna had grown. Nervousness gnawed at his stomach, but he pushed it away. He couldn't afford to feel this way.  
  
"Let's start," Tsuna said in a low, determined voice before flying towards Xanxus. His contacts were already starting up and locking onto the man in front of him. 

Xanxus let out a low amused sound at the other’s initiative, but was immediately ready to counter it. The Varia leader waited for the other to be in his range. His hands were ready to grab the brunette the moment he was close enough. 

Tsuna saw this and changed his trajectory. He whirled around Xanxus and clenched his fists. He smothered his right hand in hard flames before thrusting it forward, aiming a punch at Xanxus' back. 

Xanxus’ eyes widened slightly as he saw the other move, slightly impressed at the swift speed the other was displaying. Now _this_ was what he had been waiting for. The past three fights he had had with the other had always left Xanxus feeling entirely too unsatisfied. Sure, he had enjoyed beating up the scum to the point of unconsciousness, but it had never been quite enough. 

But today… Xanxus would be able to crush him properly. The Varia leader couldn’t help but to laugh darkly at this prospect, before finally moving in to attack. 

“I’ll fucking crush you…” Xanxus grinned sharply as he dodged the incoming block, using his guns to shoot himself up into the air before immediately firing a charged shot at the other. 

Tsuna's punch hit air and he looked up in time to see Xanxus pull the trigger. He quickly shot himself forward, dodging the flames by inches as he thrust himself up towards Xanxus once more. He threw a kick, trying to get Xanxus down to the floor where he could out maneuver him more easily. 

Xanxus grabbed the Tsuna’s leg as soon as he was near, his movements swift and deadly. He immediately tightened his grip on the other’s ankle and swiveled around violently until he was able to slam the brunette harshly against the mountain wall behind him. 

Tsuna tried to tug his leg free, but the other's grip was too strong. 

"Augh...!" 

As he was slammed into the mountain wall, Tsuna let out a cry of breathless pain. He was momentarily dazed, but he soon started up his flames again and fired them down to try and get loose from Xanxus' hold. 

But Xanxus didn’t let go of his hold just yet. He tightened his grip on the other and tried to pull him towards him, while with his other hand, Xanxus charged up his Flame of Wrath. Xanxus dug his nails into the other’s pant leg as he felt the other begin to slip from his grip, but once he felt the effort was futile, Xanxus let go and instead propelled himself up with his charged up flame to follow him. 

Tsuna felt slight panic as he saw the Flame of Wrath. He knew how powerful it was and as he was now, he had no way to dodge it. In a desperate attempt, Tsuna shook his leg and revved up his flames, shoving more power into trying to slip away. But it had backfired. When Xanxus let him go, it was like being shot out of a slingshot. Tsuna shot off with barely any control. He quickly slowed himself down and regained control before he turned, only to find Xanxus was in his face. Tsuna's eyes went wide. He had no time to react. 

Xanxus saw this and with a cocky smirk increased the output of his own flames so he could reach the other. Once he was high enough, he aimed his elbow to the back of the other’s neck, sending him flying back to the ground. Immediately after, he took out his guns and fired a powerful shot down at the brunette. 

Tsuna cried out as he was thrown back to the ground. He grunted before quickly pushing himself to the side and avoiding a direct hit from the other's flames, though it still clipped him. Tsuna grimaced and rubbed his left side, his clothes singed and leaving a hole where the flame had hit. But he didn't worry about it now. He stared up at Xanxus for a moment, wondering how he could get a moment to do a proper attack. But he was sure that Xanxus, who already knew what he could do, wouldn't give him a chance. "Tch..." Tsuna gritted his teeth before flying up and aiming straight for Xanxus. He had to slow him down. 

Xanxus continued to shoot at the approaching brunette from afar, not allowing him to get close to him. He smirked widely. “Come on, you fucking trash. Is this how you’re planning to beat the Vendetta?” Xanxus snorted as if his own words amused him. “You won’t even be able to get one shot in at this rate,” he taunted. 

Tsuna couldn't get close and it was frustrating him. Xanxus' words weren't helping. "I'll defeat the Vendetta!" Tsuna scowled. "And I'll defeat you!" He shot himself forward again, maneuvering through Xanxus' shots easier and quicker now. Soon, he was close enough to send a kick at Xanxus' hands, trying to disarm him. 

Xanxus tightened his grip on his guns and blocked the kick with them, although the impact made him inch back a couple feet in the air. His eyes shone with dark satisfaction, enjoying the fact that the brat was slowly getting riled up. 

“There’s no way I’ll ever let you beat me again, scum.” Xanxus charged up his guns as he pushed the other back with a kick to the stomach. “You’ll have to kill me first,” the Varia leader promised, his voice a low rumbling murmur that was soon blocked out by the noise of his guns propelling the scarred man forward. Xanxus took this moment to begin relentlessly attacking the other, each punch and kick as swift as the next, growing faster and faster, and making it almost impossibly for the brunette to retaliate.

 _Not again...!_ Tsuna flashbacked to their second day of training when Xanxus had beaten the crap out of him for saying something stupid. And No-Good-Tsuna had done it again. Xanxus had obviously taken insult to his words and was now beating the crap out of him, although Tsuna was defending himself a bit better than last time. He tried to maneuver around him, but each time he was caught by another barrage of attacks from the Varia boss. So instead of trying to dodge and block, Tsuna shoved himself up close, taking advantage of his small frame to slip through Xanxus' attacks and send an elbow into the other's chest. 

“Ugh...!” Xanxus let out a pained grunt as he felt the other’s hit, feeling momentarily stunned as his breath was knocked out of him. He felt slightly irritated that the other had actually gotten a hit in, but at the same time, felt all the more excited because of it. 

Xanxus was quick to recover his breath, and even quicker to snatch the brat up by his hair, his grip vicious so as to prevent the other from escaping. He pulled the brat up until they were face to face and then reciprocated the other’s previous attack with his knee, an ugly taunting smirk flashing at the corner of his lips. 

Tsuna had tried to rocket away from Xanxus when he finished the blow, but he had been too slow. He was yanked back by his hair and he let out a cry of pain. He grimaced, gripping on to the other's wrist, his fingers prying at the other's hand and trying to make him let go. But he didn't have long to fight as Xanxus' knee was thrust into his stomach. Tsuna let out a gasp as his eyes widened in pain. 

He coughed, trying to regain his breath, his fingers still gripping at Xanxus' fingers. He opened his eyes and glared slightly before swinging out his leg, aiming right for Xanxus' jaw. 

 _Smack._  

The hit collided painfully against the Varia leader’s jaw, the impact forcing him to lose his grip on the other as he sent flying back. Xanxus growled slightly and once he regained his balance on the air reached to rub at his injury with the back of his hand. Said hands were slowly beginning to glow… 

Tsuna didn't waste any time, especially when he saw the other's hands beginning to glow. Tsuna rushed forward and began throwing punch after punch, his fists coated in the hard flames. He aimed for wherever he could, increasing the ferocity of his attacks.

Xanxus bristled as he was suddenly forced to get on the defensive. He blocked and dodged as many attacks as he could, but irritatingly enough, he managed to get hit a couple of times. And considering that the hits were coated with hard flames they were sure to leave telling marks afterwards. 

Xanxus growled. “Enough!” he shouted, his temper snapping. 

At the next hit, Xanxus left himself open but this allowed him to be able to reach for the other’s forearm with own flaming hands tightly. Xanxus increased the force of his flame then, burning at the skin under his grip before he threw the cocky brat down to the ground once more. Xanxus used this distance to charge up his guns once more, his anger pulsing energy into his weapons, and then suddenly he growled out, “Bocciolo di Fiamma!” 

Xanxus fired shot after shot at the downed brunette over and over again, flying around his target relentlessly. He enjoyed the dark satisfaction that bubbled up in his chest as he heard his attack hit the other. 

Tsuna let out a cry as Xanxus burned his arm with his flame. It hurt so much! But he didn't have a chance to think about it as he was thrown to the floor and suddenly shot at. Tsuna was quick to join his hands and activate the revised Zero Point Breakthrough, but he was only able to absorb part of the flames. Absorbing any more would cause him to be overloaded. Tsuna tried to dodge the rest, but got hit with many of the shots. It wasn’t going well—but Tsuna couldn't give up! 

Finally, he was able to get himself in the air, skimming past the shots on his way up to Xanxus. This time, though, he didn't go for the front. Tsuna grabbed hold of Xanxus' ankles and flipped himself upside down and behind the man, slamming his foot into the other's back. 

Xanxus let out a loud painful grunt as he felt the hit collide with his back, the impact sending him flying down this time, although he was quick to stop his decent by shooting down at the ground, leaving a rather huge crater in his wake. 

"Operation: X." Tsuna immediately got into position as he saw Xanxus flying down. 

"Roger, Boss." The soft flames built up behind him and soon the hard flames were starting to rise before his eyes. "10,000 Fiamma Volts," the female voice informed him as the line slowly rose. 

Xanxus was already swiveling back around when he heard the brat’s words. His stomach tightened with tension for a moment then as he recalled the fucking brat’s one hit kill move that he had been developing the other day. 

 _There’s no way I’m going to let that happen!_ Xanxus thought with fierce determination, knowing that if he let the other have a chance with that attack today, then the tables would turn in a rather unpleasant direction. With a growl at that thought, Xanxus was quick to fire two shots in the direction of the other, each aiming for an individual arm. He then proceeded to fly up towards the other once more, getting as close as he could while he continued to charge up for his next attack. With a rather nasty smirk on his face, Xanxus ended his barrage with a small Scoppio d’Ira to the other’s face. 

Tsuna had already gotten it up to 50,000 when Xanxus shot at him. "Cancel! Cancel! Cancel!" Tsuna said quickly as he used the stored flames to fly out of the way from the three shots. They barely missed him. The contacts went back to their normal readouts as Tsuna quickly fled, gritting his teeth at how close he had been. He'd have to come up with another plan and find another opening. 

Xanxus snorted with satisfaction as he watched the brat run away from him. The tension in his stomach relaxed and he quickly moved to follow the other as his adrenaline resurfaced. Xanxus planned to keep attacking the brat relentlessly, refusing to allow himself to give his opponent an opening throughout this battle. He was going to tire the other out before he even thought about trying that again. 

There was no way Xanxus was losing today. 

Dammit. Xanxus wasn't going to give him a break. At this rate, he'd never get to charge up the X-Burner. Tsuna flew down the mountain, glancing backwards to Xanxus before looking forward again and almost crashing into a tall tree. He quickly maneuvered around it and frowned before getting an idea. With a steep descent, Tsuna dove into the thick Namimori Forest, zigzagging through the trees and finding a hidden place to settle. 

"Operation: X." 

"Roger, Boss." 

Xanxus cursed slightly as he saw the other speed up and move to take cover inside the forest. He increased the output of his flames to follow him, managing to reach the top of the forest just as he lost sight of the brunette. Xanxus growled. “Fucking brat! Get out here and face me like a man!” the twenty-five-year snarled. 

His eyes darted around the forest quickly as he tried to spot a glimpse of the other, to no avail. His stomach muscles tightened once more then, because he instinctively knew exactly what the other was up to. Well, Xanxus wasn’t going to allow that to happen.

Not to mention he was going to make the other regret playing these childish games with him. 

Without further thought, Xanxus fed his irritation into his next attack, powering up his guns as he flew farther up in the sky, and then aimed them towards the entirety of the forest. “Martello di Fiamma!” he then growled lowly, tightening his grip on his guns as he shot his flames down into the forest, the size of the blast increasing in both power and size as it reached for the ground. Soon enough, the attack engulfed the forest as a whole. 

For years after, the town of Namimori would plant trees and work together with wildlife preserves to bring their dear forest back up to how it used to be before the freak forest fire. But for now, Tsuna was trying not to scream. It didn't work very well. "CANCEL!" Tsuna abandoned the X-Burner for the second time as he flew clear out of the trees and out of the way of the large balls of fire.

But he got caught in the edge. Tsuna was thrown down on to a rock formation and winced. He had only been hit with the edge and the attack had still hit him hard. 

Xanxus smirked widely as he observed the complete destruction his attack had caused. Now there was nowhere left for the brat to hide. The Varia leader’s mood only increased as he noticed that he had even managed to graze his prey with his attack. 

 _Good_ , Xanxus thought victoriously as he gazed at the prone body of his opponent. His fingers twitched with anticipation as his desire to obliterate the other merely increased. He couldn’t help but to let out a loud, maniacal laugh. “There’s nowhere left to run now, scum!” Xanxus shouted as he looked at the other with a wide, predatory grin. He twirled his guns in his hands once, and with a quick motion, reloaded his weapons with a new pair of cartridges before propelling himself down to join the other. He landed right next to the brunette’s prone body, feeling amusement course through him as he noticed just how much damage his attack had caused. He kicked the other’s shoulder out of pure spite. 

“Is that all you got, you fucking trash?” Xanxus laughed again, cruelly. It was as if he had forgotten the true purpose of their training. Or perhaps he never really cared at all… 

Tsuna winced in pain when Xanxus roughly kicked his shoulder. He gritted his teeth slightly before looking up at Xanxus, his eyes as determined as ever. "Not even close..." he muttered before revving up his flames. As he pushed himself off of the rock formation Tsuna realized there was really only one option left. So he got to work, aiming all of his punches and kicks towards Xanxus' hands, throwing the weapons aside when he could. Once Xanxus was unarmed, Tsuna's Dying Will Flame went out, though his gloves retained their shape. 

"Zero Point Breakthrough... First Edition," he said, grabbing hold of Xanxus' ankles. Ice began to form over Xanxus' legs until they were frozen solid and Tsuna was able to back off, panting slightly as the flame returned to him. Time to get to work.

"Operation: X." 

"Roger, Boss." 

Xanxus wheezed, doubling over as he felt the brat manage to stun him in a couple of hits. The assault had been totally unexpected, which was the only reason Xanxus was even in this position. The Varia boss couldn’t understand what had just happened. 

 _What the fuck was that?_ Xanxus grimaced as he clutched his stomach with his bare hands. His guns had been kicked away by that scum, who had really must have only managed to do it out of some sort of accursed luck. _How the hell did he recover so fast?_ Xanxus growled, irritated at how the other had managed to recover so quickly after being hit with one of Xanxus’ strongest attacks. That just wasn’t possible! 

Xanxus moved to straighten up again, beginning to snarl as he noticed the other approach him once more. But as he charged up his Flame of Wrath, Xanxus was startled at the hands that suddenly grabbed his ankles. 

“What the _fuck_ do you think you’re—!” Xanxus was about to kick the other away once more, but then, suddenly, a sharp cold feeling began prickling over his legs. Xanxus’ eyes widened in quick realization at that moment, his head snapping down in shock, denial, only to see— 

There was a short moment of silence. Xanxus’ body wound up tightly as he trembled in an uncontrollable fury. “HOW DARE YOU!” he roared then and struggled to move his frozen legs from where they were stuck on the floor. His hands blazed in a fury, his flames shining brighter than ever. 

“YOU FUCKING BRAT— _I’LL KILL YOU!_ ” Xanxus raged, feeling his blood boil as his mind registered the sheer audacity of the other. Xanxus paid no mind to the fact that the brat was finally charging up his final attack. At that moment, nothing mattered more than Xanxus’ desire to absolutely destroy the future Vongola Tenth. 

“SORRY!" Tsuna suddenly cried out as the X-Burner reached 50,000 Fiamma Volts. 

 _/ ... Really? /_  

Tsuna faltered at that, realizing that apologizing now would do absolutely nothing. Besides, when did apologizing EVER work with Xanxus? Tsuna shook his head and focused on the X-Burner, pushing the panicked thoughts of ‘ _pleasedon'tkillme_ ’ out of his mind. 

"100,000 Fiamma Volts," the mechanical voice murmured from his headset. Tsuna wondered how far he should go. He, by no means, wanted to kill the other, but it looked like Xanxus wanted nothing more than to completely murder him. 

Xanxus growled furiously, his loud, angry voice reverberating throughout the entire field as it morphed into a furious, raging scream, a scream that promised a painful death for one Sawada Tsunayoshi. The Varia leader glowered, his gaze almost as deadly as the flames on his hands, which were currently glowing with an intensity that Xanxus had never displayed before. The twenty-five-year old shot these flames down at his feet in a rage, his expression dark and almost insane. The scars on Xanxus’ body had even begun to spread already, slowly covering every inch of his skin. But Xanxus paid this no mind, so focused as he was in his desperation to kill the fucking scum that had dared put him in this position once more. 

It was a wasted effort though. The ice remained as firm and as impenetrable as usual, and this futility only served to piss Xanxus off further. He could feel something inside of him begin to snap then. He wanted—needed—to kill the other. And the moment he got free, he would. 

These thoughts seemed to be feeding into Xanxus’ flames because the darker and more murderous his glare got, the darker his orange flames began to burn. They looked almost red at this point, the crimson color staining at the edges of the orange and bleeding into them. 

The power level stopped rising after a few seconds as Tsuna stared in slight horror as Xanxus' flames changed color. His intuition was gnawing at him, screaming danger. He checked the readout on the contacts. "175,000 Fiamma Volts," the mechanical voice supplied. Good enough. 

"X-BURNER!" Tsuna shouted and he shot off the column of hard flames straight at the Varia boss. 

Xanxus snarled furiously as he saw the other’s approaching flame. He wasn’t going to be beaten like this! He wasn’t! 

Xanxus shot his mixed flames down at his feet again, and this time, the ice slowly began to melt away. Upon noticing the change, Xanxus forced himself to expel as much of the flames as he could manage—more than he could manage in fact.

“I’M— _NOT_ —FUCKING— _LOSING LIKE THIS!_ ” Xanxus roared, feeling the skin of his hands blistering as he was finally able to break free from his momentary prison. The intensity of his attack allowed him to shoot himself up towards the air, but he was too late to avoid the oncoming blast of the X-Burner. Xanxus was hit full on with the attack, the powerful hard flames blasting him far into the mountains, and shocking his skin into numbness. Xanxus’ vision flashed red for a second, fury and denial battling as his body weakened, and then… everything went black. 

Xanxus’ body fell down to the ground with a loud, painful thud, and the fact that Xanxus didn’t as much as twitch announced the unconscious state of the Varia leader. 

Tsuna's eyes widened as he watched the sequence of events unfold before him. Though when Xanxus finally fell to the floor and didn't move, Tsuna dropped to his knees. He panted tiredly as his body throbbed with injuries. Xanxus had actually broken out of the ice. What a monster! Tsuna internally freaked out over that. But after a few more moments, it finally sunk in. He had beaten Xanxus... 

Tsuna panted a bit with a smile. He had actually won against the fearsome man who was bent on killing him... The man that was sure to murder him the moment he woke. Tsuna realized this and he stared at Xanxus' unmoving body in fear. A moment later, Tsuna fired up more flames and flew back to Namimori as fast as he could. If Xanxus woke up, Tsuna wasn't sure he could take it. 

Once he got near Namimori, Tsuna dropped down and ran the rest of the way home. Even though he was bleeding, bruised, and burned, Tsuna didn't stop running until he slammed the front door of his house behind him. Panting heavily, the young brunette slid down and sat on the floor, relieved.  
  
"Tsuna, what happened?" Reborn was walking towards him. He was frowning.  
  
"Xanxus..." Tsuna panted out before looking at Reborn. "I beat him. And he's not very happy about it."  
  
Reborn looked at Tsuna for a moment before he let out a sigh. A small, almost fond, smile appeared on the baby’s lips. "No-Good-Tsuna."   
  
Tsuna looked at Reborn and smiled. Perhaps now would be a good time to talk—  
  
"Reborn!"   
  
Suddenly the front door behind him slammed open and Tsuna was sent flying forward into the stairs. When he looked back, he saw none other than Bianchi sitting on the floor and holding Reborn tightly.   
  
"I'm back!" she said with a smile.   
  
Tsuna blinked. "Back? From where?" Now that he thought about it, actually, he hadn't seen Bianchi all week.   
  
"Bianchi has been working hard to gather information," Reborn supplied without prompting; continuingly feeding Tsuna’s suspicions that the baby was a mind reader. 

Tsuna stared at Reborn uneasily, and Reborn didn’t look back. Instead, he calmly addressed Bianchi. "What have you found?" he asked.  
  
Bianchi's happy lovesick smile changed then to a serious, fierce look. There was a victorious spark in her eyes.

"I found the entrance to the Vendetta's base."

 


	27. Target 26: The Will to Win

Bianchi’s announcement was quick to spread to all ears. Soon enough, the Vongola Guardians, Dino, Aria, and their right-hand men gathered inside of Tsuna’s room. The only ones not in the room were Lambo, whom was too young to actively participate in the meeting, and Ryohei, whom nobody seemed to be able to get in contact with. Reborn assured everyone this was fine though, and then closed up about the matter. 

Despite of their absences, the arrangement inside Tsuna’s room was still rather cramped, even more so than last time. But no one seemed to notice or mind this fact. They all looked quiet and alert as they waited for the meeting to start. 

Gokudera, who was sitting in between Tsuna and Yamamoto, tried his best to remain calm as he waited for his sister (who had thankfully covered up her face with her goggles) to finally speak up. He looked tense and was drumming his fingers impatiently against his arm, which were crossed over his chest in an attempt to quench both his desire to light up a cigarette as well as his desire to put a reassuring hand over the Tenth’s shoulder. 

The silver-haired teen felt unsettled. He was still stunned by the realization that his sister had been out there risking her life for this information and Gokudera hadn’t even noticed, having been entirely too worried about his boss instead. 

And speaking of which, Gokudera glanced at his boss out of the corner of his eye for what had to be the twentieth time. His fingers tightened their grip on his arm as he noticed just how injured the other looked. Gokudera felt angry, and vowed to himself right then and there that he would find a way to dispose of Xanxus in the future. There was no way he was going to let that bastard live for a moment longer! 

Tsuna, on the other hand, wasn't worried about himself. He was too busy worrying about everyone else. Ryohei… was he alright? The fact that he wasn't answering his phone was worrying, but if Reborn said so, he must be okay... Still, the brunette’s thoughts were buzzing with worry. Especially since there was also that matter with Reborn himself. Reborn was making a point to look everywhere else in the room but at Dino, and ever since the blonde boss had entered the room, there had been an aura of tension around him. Reborn refused to say more than was needed. 

"So now that we're all here," Reborn said and looked at the woman sitting next to him. "Bianchi, tell us what you found out." 

"Well, I found the entrance to the base," Bianchi began to explain in a low voice. "The Vendetta base is located right under Namimori Shrine. The entrance is the shrine itself." 

"W-what?!" Tsuna's eyes widened as he thought back to all the times they had visited the shrine. He couldn’t believe the entrance had been there all along. "Are you sure?!" 

"Positive." Bianchi nodded seriously.

A collective murmur of shock echoed throughout the room at these news. 

“How the hell did we miss that?” Dino couldn’t help to growl out darkly, his voice a low murmur. The news had shocked him out of the unemotional state he had been in ever since his fight with Reborn. The blonde clenched his fists tightly as he bit his lip, frustrated at the knowledge that Kyouya had been near them all along. 

 _I should have…I should have…!_ Dino’s body tensed further as he tried to think of what he could have done to _notice_ something so vital. _He’s been here all along, and I…_ Dino’s mind couldn’t help but to think of the state of his injured lover. The photos in his coat pocket felt as heavy as lead, and the guilty weight in his stomach felt a thousand times worse. 

The sound of Dino's voice seemed to cause a spark of annoyance in Reborn. When he spoke, he looked straight at Dino for the first time that day. "Weren't your men searching all over Namimori? How did they miss the entrance in the shrine?" he demanded, his voice rough. 

"R-Reborn... This... isn't Dino-san's fault." Tsuna frowned, looking at the baby whom completely ignored his words. 

Reborn’s words caused Dino to tense, and he had to hold back his instinctive flinch. The words cut deep into his own insecurities, and he couldn’t help but to lash out, narrowing his eyes angrily at the other. “Weren’t your people looking into this too?” Dino growled, his voice also rough although due to disuse. “None of you were able to find anything either. If it wasn’t for Bianchi, we wouldn’t know a single thing, so shut the hell up before you start pointing fingers.” he snapped, not backing down at all as he met the other’s gaze with a matching one of his own. 

Gokudera’s eyes widened as he watched the two fight in the middle of the meeting. He knew the Tenth had been telling the truth yesterday, but to see it with his own eyes… 

Reborn stood up and glared at Dino, his own voice transforming into a growl. "We were all overseeing training. All of us were busy, but your men were patrolling the town." 

Aria looked between the two with slightly wide eyes. He had never seen Reborn angry and she knew stepping in would make Dino worse. What could she do? 

Dino bristled at the implications but didn’t even give the other the satisfaction of standing up, preferring to remain in his seat as he glared down at the Arcobaleno. “What exactly do you think my men have been up to?” Dino’s hands clenched tightly, his nails digging into the cloth of his jacket. “You think they hadn’t been looking? You think they haven’t been out there every day, looking into every spot of this damn town?” 

"Apparently they haven't!" Reborn snapped back, his tone scathing. "Because they missed such an obvious spot!" He crossed his arms tightly. "But you were probably too distracted to order them correctly." 

The entire room was silent as the fight was slowly starting to escalate. 

Dino looked about ready to murder someone, the way his body shook as he tried to restrain his anger. Romario swallowed anxiously as he watched this scene from his boss’ side, knowing that trying to placate either party would only end with worse results. His stomach twisted as he too stilled himself from stepping in. 

“I get it already.” Dino couldn’t help but to laugh bitterly as his nails gripped at the cloth of his jacket even tighter. His eyes were closed, his face etched into a mixture of frustration and anger as he let out a loud hissing sigh and turned to look down at his ex-mentor once more. “You’ve already made it perfectly clear that I’m not fit to be a boss, Reborn. So excuse me for being too busy to look over my men’s work. Excuse me for not living up to your damn fucking expectations!” Dino’s voice slowly grew from cold and almost unemotional, to a loud furious growl. He glared at the other, feeling angrier than he ever had before, not to mention hurt. 

Reborn tensed at that, but before he could open his mouth to respond, another voice shouted out. 

"ENOUGH!" Tsuna slammed his hands on the table and stood, immediately commanding attention from each member in the room. Even Reborn looked slightly shocked. "This... This is just getting out of hand!" He looked at Dino and Reborn, frowning, before standing up straight and grabbing Reborn's hand. 

Before Reborn had a chance to react, Tsuna reached over to grab Dino's hand as well, and the brunette stormed out of the room, dragging the two males behind him. He took them to the guest room and crossed his arms. "Reborn, Dino-san," he began in a stern tone, for once looking like the Tenth boss of the Vongola Family that he was. "I thought if I left you two be, you'd eventually work it out. But enough is enough. We're facing the Vendetta soon and we need to sort these things out! So make up or... or... or else!" Tsuna finished his speech rather lamely, but instead of wondering what else he could say, he stomped back outside the room and shut the door firmly behind him. 

Reborn watched Tsuna go, still in a bit of a shock. 

Dino was shocked as well, not having expected his little brother to interrupt them in a frustrated huff of his own. But now that Tsuna had gone, and Dino was left there standing alone in the room with his former mentor, the blonde was quick to tense up more, as if preparing himself for a new verbal assault. 

The thing was that while Dino knew that Tsuna was right, he didn’t think they could solve things that easily. As much as he wanted to get this over with now so it wouldn’t affect their performance in the upcoming battles, Dino had little faith that Reborn would do anything other than order him around once again, belittling Dino with his usual uncaring attitude. 

Because of this, Dino said nothing as he watched the door close behind Tsuna, merely biting his lip and moving to cross his arms over his chest once more as he waited for the Arcobaleno to speak.

Reborn was stuck in a similar silence. He wanted Dino to be the first to speak but the more he mulled over Dino's last words, the more the guilt began to curl in his stomach.  
  
For the first time, in possibly his whole life, Reborn swallowed his pride.  
  
"You..." Reborn frowned slightly, not looking at Dino. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't be too weak. He couldn't be too vulnerable. "You've assumed a lot of things about me," he started. "Things that I may have taken too hard." 

Dino stiffed as the other finally broke the stifling silence that had stretched between them. However, upon hearing these words, Dino’s eyes snapped towards the other to stare at him with surprise. That… hadn’t been what Dino had expected him to say. 

But now that he had, a swirl of guilt began bubbling in Dino’s stomach once more as he recalled not only Reborn’s scathing words from yesterday’s argument, but now also his own. In retrospect, Dino knew some of the things he had said had been uncalled for. But he wasn’t going to apologize for them. At least not yet. 

“I didn’t think it was possible for things to get to you,” Dino murmured softly instead, his voice laced with a cold touch of sarcasm as his face set to look as unemotional as possible. He wanted to keep a cool head throughout this. He wanted to prove the other wrong; he wanted to show him that Dino could in fact make decisions without letting his emotions get the best of him. 

The blonde wholeheartedly ignored the way his chest was constricting tightly then; the way his blood raced along his veins, itching to let loose.

It was then that Reborn looked at Dino, a frown firmly on his lips. He stared at the blonde for a moment before he spoke again. "You would think that, wouldn't you," he said, his tone unnaturally even. He looked away and stared forward for a couple of long moments. 

Neither said a word for a while. 

"We must have been fighting badly for Tsuna to start all that shouting," Reborn said finally, crossing his arms stiffly as he stared at the wall. 

Dino nodded, almost curtly. He continued holding himself in a tense manner even though the lack of attack from the other was slowly managing to lower the blonde’s walls. 

“I never thought I would see him take charge like that. Looks like he’s coming along well, huh?” Dino couldn’t help the short, humorless laugh that escaped him. The words felt bitter against his tongue. 

Reborn pressed his lips together in slight annoyance. He was trying. How... could he make Dino see? How could he make him understand? Reborn's mouth, though, seemed to know the answer as it started forming words without checking in with his brain. "Her name was Luce," he began suddenly. Reborn's eyes were fixed and unmoving on the wall. "She told me that my sideburns were the coolest part of me.”

“She and I..." Reborn’s frown deepened now. "We got very close." The Arcobaleno looked down, his hat covering his eyes. "Very close. But she died at a young age. When that happened... I nearly followed her." His fists closed tightly. "I don't... want you to feel what I feel." 

“R-Reborn…” Dino blinked rapidly as the other began this confession, his eyes widening in shock at the unexpected words. He never would have imagined… that something like this had happened to the other. Now that he knew… 

Dino didn’t know what to feel then. He just felt overwhelmed by everything at the moment. Who would have thought that Reborn actually understood how Dino felt about all of this? That he really had been trying to prevent him from falling into the same mistakes that Reborn himself had made… 

The realization made Dino feel small. As if he was still the same pipsqueak Dino that Reborn had trained all those years ago. 

“I…” It was frustrating, but at the same time, the anger and tension Dino had been carrying inside of him since yesterday somehow managed to dissipate, although there was still a part of him that kept holding on to that anger, to that hurt. But for now, Dino couldn’t think of any of that. All he could think of were of the careless words he had said yesterday in his anger. 

“I’m sorry,” he finally apologized, knowing it was the least he could say. Although he knew that no matter how many times he said these words, it would never be enough. Dino swallowed down the ache that was growing in his throat.  

“It was wrong of me to assume that you… That I…” Dino bit his lip, his eyes firmly locked with surface of the floor. “I shouldn’t have said the things I did,” he finally murmured. 

Reborn looked at Dino for a moment before walking over to him. "I know how hard it is to let someone you care about go. It’s even harder for you because Hibari is still alive." He frowned. "It was... unfair of me to tell you to stop caring when I can't even do it myself." He looked down again, his face covered by his hat. "Dino, you... You've gone above and beyond my expectations. And I apologize for making you feel like you haven't." 

 _That…_ Dino didn’t know how much he had needed to hear those words. All his insecurities, his doubts, his anger towards both himself and Reborn, all of it just dissolved the moment he heard those words. 

The person whom he had looked up to for so long, the person that had helped him become the man he was today… That person had finally truly acknowledged him. There was a fierce feeling of pride that burnt at his chest then, almost suffocating him with its intensity. 

“Reborn…” Dino swallowed, feeling moved. He felt the need to say so much right then. He wanted to apologize for everything he had ever done, explain how much this meant to him. But really, the only thing Dino could do was gaze at his mentor in awe as he was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude that left Dino speechless. 

Eventually, somehow, he was able to voice out this feeling in two heartfelt words. 

“Thank you.” 

Dino’s lips quirked up into a small, grateful smile that said it all. 

Reborn gripped the brim of his hat and pulled it down over his face, effectively hiding it from view. Was the Arcobaleno trembling? It was hard to tell. After a couple moments, Reborn looked back up at Dino, his own lips spread into a smile. He held out his tiny hand to the blonde. "A peaceful handshake between men," he offered. 

Dino’s smile widened further as he leaned over to take the offered hand. “Let’s put this behind us now.” The blonde nodded, before breaking into a bit of a grin. “Now let’s go see everyone before they think we’ve actually killed each other.” He chuckled. 

Reborn smiled a bit wider and he jumped up, sitting on Dino's shoulder. "You couldn't kill me even if you tried," he said with that same old smirk he always used.

“Heh, maybe not yet,” Dino teased right back as he walked towards the door, an amused grin spread across his face. Finally, it seemed that they were both back to normal, and the tension that had been surrounding them was completely gone. 

Tsuna was waiting outside, fiddling with his fingers across the hall. He looked nervous and had every right to be. His teacher and "big brother" had been at each other's throats since yesterday. He hoped that they would manage to work everything out.

He started at the door anxiously once he heard it open, but much to his surprise and relief, he noticed the relaxed aura immediately. He smiled brightly as the two of them walked out with smiles of their own. His heart swelled with happiness and he knew everything was going to be just fine. 

The three of them swiftly made it back to Tsuna’s room. Tsuna shared a small smile with Gokudera as he walked in through the door, before moving to sit down next to him. 

 _As expected from the boss!_ Gokudera thought with a happy grin. 

Yamamoto gave Tsuna a quick thumbs-up from over Gokudera’s shoulder. 

Aria and Reborn made eye contact before both of them exchanged a quick smile. Then it was back to business. 

"Sorry for the interruption," Reborn said, hopping off of Dino's shoulder and on to the table. "We'll continue the meeting now." 

Dino nodded at Reborn’s words and moved to sit back down between Romario and Gamma, giving his right-hand man a small reassuring smile, before turning his attention back to the Arcobaleno. 

Bianchi pulled out a piece of folded paper from her pocket then. She unfolded it and revealed a drawn sketch of what looked like the shrine and a tunnel directly under it. 

"The door is very well hidden," she started to explain. "I wouldn't have noticed it myself if I hadn't followed someone suspicious. It was apparently an informant of the Vendetta because they entered without a problem." She pointed to the diagram of a hidden door right on the front of the shrine. "It blends in perfectly, but there's actually a door in the wall that opens up when you place what looked like a card in the offertory box." She looked up at the rest of the group. "I put some of my poison cooking near the entrance and searched. I eventually found another entrance by following the smell. It’s big and barely hidden in an abandoned part on the other side of town. I think they expected us to find that entrance and use it."

Gokudera’s eyes widened as his sister explained not only the details about the base, but also the fact that she had caught sight of an informant. So the blonde Vendetta member really hadn’t been lying… 

Gokudera hadn’t really doubted his words, but he still felt irritated at the Vendetta. Gokudera’s green eyes narrowed further then as he continued to hear his sister explanation. _Those bastards are fucking underestimating us!_ he thought viciously, his fingers twitching as he resisted the urge to reach his bombs. 

Dino felt pretty much the same way. He ground his teeth, still feeling irritated at the fact that the enemy had been hiding right under their noses. Not to mention, the Vendetta’s cocky attitude was getting on his nerves. Oh, how he longed to crush them… 

“Is there any way we can enter through their main entrance?” Dino asked then, his expression somber, though devoid of his internal aggravation. 

"It doesn't look like it." It was Reborn that answered Dino this time. "Unless we have that card, the door might be unopenable." He looked at Bianchi, who nodded.

"It practically became part of the wall," she told them. "I wouldn't be able to point it out if I hadn't seen it open before. And I didn't get to see inside so who knows what kind of security is on the other side." 

"But if we go through the other entrance, there's bound to be a trap waiting for us." Reborn frowned, his eyebrows furrowed with deep thought. "So that entrance is out of the question." 

"Um, Bianchi?" Tsuna looked at her. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you know that the informant was from the Vendetta?" he asked hesitantly. 

Bianchi looked at him for a moment, seemingly thinking about whether or not she should answer. 

"The man was watching this house for three hours," she eventually said. "He also took several stops on the way back. One at Hibari's house, at the sushi shop, and also..." She frowned in slight concern, glancing to her brother. "I spotted him outside Hayato's apartment building. I followed him the entire time until he made it back to the shrine."

Dino’s brows furrowed at this information and he shot his right-hand man a look, but Romario merely shook his head negatively. They had not seen anyone suspicious in the vicinity of the house any of these days... 

“What the hell did that guy look like?” Gokudera cut in then, furious at the realization that he hadn’t spotted the fucker. Although Gokudera had been out of his apartment more often than not this week, he had still visited the Tenth plenty. To think the bastard had been lurking around, watching them… The thought disturbed him. 

"He looked completely normal," Bianchi said, shaking her head. "Black hair. Dark eyes. No tattoos, markings, or anything particular eye-catching." 

"The perfect informant," Reborn said with a frown. "But... something doesn't add up." 

"What is it, Reborn?" Tsuna looked at the Sun Arcobaleno with a nervous frown of his own. 

"Why did he watch this house for three hours and then just stop by the rest of the locations?" Reborn’s frowned deepened. 

Bianchi also frowned. "He did stop for a while. At Takesushi, he actually walked in and had dinner. At Hayato's apartment, he talked for a bit with the security guard like they were friends." she explained. "But it never really took longer than an hour at each location." 

Dino’s stomach twisted sickeningly at this information. To think that the Vendetta had been prowling around so closely… The blonde grimaced slightly, but then realized something seemed off. 

“But why only those locations?” Dino’s brows furrowed in confusion as he thought on this. “Sasagawa’s and Dokuro’s place went unvisited?” he asked Bianchi for confirmation. 

Bianchi looked startled at this information as if she had just noticed this herself. "Actually, yes. He didn't go anywhere near Kokuyo Park or the Sasagawa household," she said thoughtfully. 

Reborn looked up at Dino for a moment. "To be as careless as staying in one place such as this house for three hours and then taking such specific stops, never checking if they're being followed... This man was acting weird." Reborn rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 

Gamma listened to their discussion quietly, observing everyone getting deep in thought about the sudden discovery. He too couldn’t understand the purpose of what was being described here, although at hearing Reborn-san’s last words, it finally hit him. It seemed all too obvious now. 

“A Family like the Vendetta isn’t stupid enough to use these kinds of people.” Gamma spoke up for the first time then, shaking his head slightly as he addressed the room. “Think about it. The Vendetta has proven to be cautious and smart this whole time, haven’t they? They managed to capture your Cloud Guardian without anyone seeing a thing. They wouldn’t use a careless informant like this. At least, not unless they wanted him to be seen on purpose.” He let that thought sink into the silence. 

"Yes, of course..." A wave of realization washed over Aria. "It’s possible that this entrance in the shrine is the entrance that the Vendetta wants you to take. They knew the informant would be followed," she said softly. "The other entrance is just a decoy." 

Reborn looked at Bianchi. "Describe the card," he requested quickly. 

"It looked like a business card," Bianchi said, concentrating. "But there wasn't a lot written on it. Maybe two words at most. I couldn't see it though, I was following him from afar." 

"Two words." Reborn crossed his arms. "If they wanted us to find and use this entrance, they would have left us a clue. They would have given us the answer." 

“Two words, huh?” Gokudera mumbled thoughtfully, his brow furrowing as he thought on it as well. Well the only thing that appeared odd about what his sister had said was the fact that the informant hadn’t visited either the lawnhead’s home or Kokuyo Land. 

“Sasagawa and Dokuro.” Dino seemed to have arrived to the same conclusion. It was the only thing that seemed off about all of this. 

Reborn nodded and glanced at the silent girl who was sitting a few feet away from the table, closer to the bed. 

"Do you think something happened to onii-san?" Tsuna couldn’t help but to ask then, looking worried. He checked his phone but there were no messages from Ryohei. Had he run into trouble? 

Reborn shook his head. The Vendetta wouldn't attack meaninglessly. They had only attacked Gokudera in order to retrieve the Vongola Cloud Ring. 

"Um..." Chrome broke the silence with a quiet voice. "I don't think that... we're the clues." 

"What do you mean, Chrome?" Tsuna looked at her with a slightly confused frown. 

"Chrome Dokuro and Sasagawa Ryohei..." You had to strain your ears to hear Chrome's shy voice. "It’s... too long for what Bianchi-san said was written on that card..." 

"Ah..." Tsuna blinked. "That's true." 

Dino shook his head at this however. He was sure that the two were the clues somehow. His intuition gnawed at him to think on it further. 

“Perhaps the answer is simpler than we think it is.” Romario spoke up then, leaning forward as he made an input of his own. “What is the one thing these two have in common?” he asked the room. 

When you thought of Chrome and Ryohei, one couldn't stop thinking about how completely different they were from each other. But there was only one thing that they had in common. 

"They're both Guardians," Tsuna said, looking at Romario. And it was then that Reborn realized. 

"Ah!" Reborn looked up and snapped his fingers. "Of course. Two words that couldn't be interchangeable for anything different regarding Chrome and Ryohei." 

Dino’s eyes widened as well. “That’s it! That has to be it.” He nodded to himself before announcing it to the room. “Sun—” 

“—and Mist!” Gokudera echoed at the same time, having gotten the hint as well. 

"That's it, then." Aria smiled brightly. "Two small words that can fit on a business card. I can't think of a better alternative." 

Tsuna nodded in agreement. They had the password to the Vendetta base. Finally. They would be able to save Hibari-san soon. Tsuna took out his phone again and frowned at the lack of messages. He texted Ryohei for the fifth time, his eyebrows knitting in worry. 

"I think now is the time where everyone should return home and rest," Reborn said with a satisfied smile. "We'll need to be in top shape." 

Dino nodded. “Be careful everyone, and take care. We don’t know what else the Vendetta might pull until then,” he said, and was beginning to shuffle up to his feet, when suddenly… 

“SAWADA!!!” Ryohei’s voice boomed throughout the whole house, and one could hear the door of the first floor slamming open against the wall of the entrance. 

Gokudera’s eyes widened. “Lawnhead?!” he exclaimed and turned to share a glance with his boss. 

Tsuna stood up at the sound of Ryohei's voice. His eyes brightened slightly in happiness and relief. "Onii-san!" he hurried to open the door of his room, and called the white-haired boy up from his door. "We’re up here!" 

Yamamoto sighed slightly before smiling. "That's a relief," he said with a bit of a laugh. He had also been silently worrying about his senpai. 

As usual Ryohei made his way up before they could even blink twice. The Sun Guardian had a wide grin spread across his face. “Alright! Everyone is here!” The Sun Guardian looked particular excited about this fact. 

“What’s with you today, lawnhead? And where the hell have you been?” Gokudera demanded, scowling at the other’s antics. 

"Yeah, onii-san." Tsuna looked at him. "We've all been trying to reach you. Where's your phone? Why haven't you answered any messages or calls?" 

Ryohei tilted his head momentarily, but a second later he was nodding in remembrance. “Oh, right! That! I lost it to the extreme!” he announced in his usual straightforward manner. 

Tsuna stared in shock at the other's admission. At such a crucial time, he lost his phone?! 

Gokudera felt a vein pop in the back of his head. “You stupid lawnhead! How the hell did you manage to lose that?!” He glowered at the other, as usual unable to hold back his temper when it came to this idiot. 

“That doesn’t matter to the extreme!” Ryohei merely waved the question away and turned to stare at the Sun Arcobaleno. “Kid!” he addressed the baby. “I’ve finished my extreme training! I’m ready to put it to use!” he announced, looking extremely proud of his admission. 

Reborn look pleased to hear this. "Ah. Really? Then go ahead. Start with Tsuna," he said, pointing at the brunette. 

"EH?!" Tsuna's eyes widened. What extreme training had Ryohei done that would require Tsuna as a target? "Please don't hurt me!" he said quickly to Ryohei, a thousand images of special attacks flashing through his mind. 

Gokudera also furrowed his brows in confusion and glared at the Sun Guardian with suspicion. “What the hell are you planning to do to the Tenth?” he began, his tone full of suspicion, but it was at that moment that Ryohei pumped his fist up in the air, which was then engulfed in Sun Flames. 

“SAWADA! PREPARE YOURSELF!” he announced loudly, grinning widely. 

Suddenly the light in the room became almost blinding, forcing everyone to close their eyes. 

"HIIIII!" Tsuna squeaked and closed his eyes wincing away from the flames. But then suddenly, he felt a soft, gentle warmth wash over his body. He felt himself relaxing more and more until Tsuna opened his eyes, able to see again. 

"Ah, it worked. Good job, Ryohei." Reborn smirked. 

"What did?!" Tsuna blinked. He felt oddly refreshed… 

“T-tenth!” Gokudera’s eyes flew open at the first moment they could. “Are you alri—” Gokudera stopped his exclamation in midsentence as he noticed the state of his boss. He gaped at the other with a baffled expression. 

Dino stared at this little brother as well and let out a low impressed whistle. “So you taught him to use that, huh, Reborn?” Dino grinned slightly, taking note of how every injury Tsuna had had just a few moments ago was now gone.

“Wow!” Yamamoto looked impressed.

“Boss…” Even Chrome looked surprised. 

 “Alright!” Ryohei pumped his fist up in the air excitedly once more as he saw his move had worked. 

"What?!" Tsuna was looking around at all the occupants in the room that were staring at him. Reborn moved over to him and Leon transformed into a mirror. Tsuna took it and gaped. All his bruises and cuts were gone. It was then that he noticed that his body lacked that dull ache he had had a couple minutes ago. "That's... amazing, onii-san!" 

"You next." Reborn poked Gokudera's shoulder. He was covered in knife wounds and bruises. Yamamoto had a few injuries as well. 

“H-hah?” Gokudera was still shocked by the fact that the Tenth’s injuries had vanished. How had the lawnhead done that? And more importantly, how could Gokudera learn to do that as well? 

While the Storm Guardian had figured out the most basic things about his flames, he had never thought that using the accelerating abilities of his Sun Flame could be used for healing. 

 _That’s brilliant!_ Gokudera realized at that moment and decided right then that he needed to learn this technique as soon as possible. His eyes shone and his lips widened into an excited grin. _I’ll be able to help the Tenth out whenever he needs me!_ Gokudera thought with happiness. 

“What’s with the stupid expression, octopus head?” Ryohei laughed as he began to charge up his move again. It was going to be exhausting to heal everyone in the room, but Ryohei had trained hard to master his flames. It wouldn’t be a problem. 

Tsuna looked at himself before he slipped off some of the bandages from his arm. His skin was flawless. There weren’t even any scars. All the bruises had been erased and Tsuna felt like he had had a particularly refreshing sleep. He watched as Ryohei healed Gokudera and then Yamamoto. 

"Thanks, senpai!" Yamamoto chirped up with a wide grin. Gokudera let out a grudging thanks of his own, trying hard not to look as pleased and relieved as he really was.

Reborn smiled in approval and nodded. "Good job, Ryohei. I'm sure Lussuria was very proud of your improvements," he said to the boxer. 

Ryohei grinned at the praise. “He said he was proud to the extreme!” the boxer announced happily. “He promised to personally train me on endurance as soon as we rescue Hibari!” he bragged, looking entirely too pleased at this prospect. 

Endurance training with Lussuria? Tsuna's eyes widened as he put his hands on either side of his head, inwardly panicking. That sounded so horribly suspicious!! 

Reborn, if he had noticed, showed no sign of negativity. He only smiled and nodded encouragingly. "Good, good. The Varia will be a big ally in the future. So let's get along with them." He looked at the rest of the occupants. "For now, everyone, please return home and have a good rest. Eat well and prepare yourselves.” 

Yamamoto smiled and nodded. "You got it, kid!" 

Chrome nodded slightly before turning to quietly leave the room. 

“Well then, I’ll be leaving as well then.” Dino nodded and moved to stand up once again. “Take care of yourself, Tsuna.” Dino smiled at his little brother reassuringly. He gave a firm nod to Reborn as well and waved goodbye at the rest, before taking his leave. Romario moved to follow suit. 

"Bye, Dino-san!" Tsuna smiled, happy as Reborn gave a nod in return to Dino. 

Aria stood up as well and smiled. "We'll be going too. Best of luck to you and your Guardians, Tsunayoshi-kun. And I hope that Hibari is retrieved safely," she said, smiling kindly at them before following after Dino. Gamma followed suit after murmuring a goodbye of his own. 

"Ah." Yamamoto stood up. "I should get going too. My old man wanted me to help out this evening with a big group at the restaurant." 

"Oh, I see. Well, remember to take it easy, Yamamoto," Tsuna said. 

Yamamoto smiled and nodded, waving to Tsuna and Gokudera before running off and out the door. 

And then there were five. 

Gokudera couldn’t believe so much had happened today. Finally, things seemed to be looking up. Gokudera almost couldn’t believe how swiftly the tables had turned in only a few days. It felt like it had only been yesterday that Gokudera had been beaten by that bastard blonde. 

But now, at this moment, Gokudera felt ready to face not only that irritating guy, but anyone else who stood in his way. Gokudera wasn’t going to allow himself to lose anymore. 

 _The Tenth is counting on me…!_  

Gokudera then turned his gaze towards his boss, his determination obvious on his face. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then, Tenth!” he said before shooting him a quick grin. 

Tsuna looked back at Gokudera when he spoke and it seemed to be the first time he really noticed his right-hand man in the last few hours. The meeting as well as the fight between Dino and Reborn had taken up so much of his thoughts that he hadn't even realized... Now, he felt a soft clenching in his chest. He didn't want Gokudera to go but he couldn't just ask him to stay. Bianchi, however, interrupted his thoughts before he even had a chance to make sense of them.  
  
"Hayato!" She smiled. "Why don't you stay a little while? I haven't seen you all week!” she exclaimed and moved over to hug her little brother. “I hope you're eating right," she said, as Gokudera squirmed in her arms. 

“Aneki!”

Tsuna held back a smile at this sight, before turning to look at Ryohei. "Thanks a lot, onii-san. What you did was really useful."  
  
"Now go home and rest, Ryohei," Reborn said, still sitting on the table. He was watching with great amusement as Bianchi nuzzled Gokudera's hair. 

“Augh, get off me!” Gokudera struggled against his sister’s grip, an embarrassed flush rising to his face as he protested loudly. His voice almost rivaled Ryohei’s own excitable exit. 

“YOSH! It’s time to rest to the extreme now! See you later, Sawada!” Ryohei gave a firm nod and a wide grin to everyone in the room before jogging off. 

"Bye, onii-san!" Tsuna called before looking back and laughing slightly at Gokudera's predicament. He decided to give the other a hand. "Bianchi, we should go. I'm sure dinner will be ready soon." 

"Oh." Bianchi still held on to Gokudera with one arm as she tapped her chin in thought. "Maybe I should go help Maman." 

"NO!" Tsuna protested quickly, already looking horrified. 

Bianchi narrowed her eyes at this response, but before either Bianchi or Tsuna could say anything further, Reborn stood up. 

"Bianchi. Let's go for a walk before dinner," the baby said, his lips lifting into a suave, cool guy smile. 

Bianchi melted and immediately agreed, walking out with the Arcobaleno in her arms. 

Tsuna watched them go and sighed with relief. 

Gokudera was quick to follow suit. “N-nice save…” the silver-haired breathed almost shakily, giving a wary glance at the doorway as if expecting to hear his sister change his mind about the walk. 

Tsuna nodded softly. "Tell me about it." He sighed slightly before looking at Gokudera. He smiled a bit in the direction of the other, rubbing his arm self-consciously. He was silent for a while, thinking about what to say, before he remembered Gokudera's hostility towards his "tutor." 

"Oh, that’s right. I beat Xanxus this morning, so you don't need to worry about it anymore," he said softly, sitting back down next to Gokudera. 

Gokudera turned his head sharply towards his boss at these words, his stomach twisting as he remembered the state the Tenth had been in only a few moments ago. He frowned deeply at the reminder and gave his boss a considerate glance. “That bastard’s done more to harm than help this week. It’s unforgivable,” he grumbled, but refrained from voicing out the vicious growl that was threatening to escape his throat. 

"I... I wouldn't say that, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna protested, shaking his head a bit. "Yeah, he's scary, and he beat me up and..." He paused a moment, remembering things that he probably shouldn't tell Gokudera. "Um, but you know, because of him I got a lot stronger this week." He looked at Gokudera. "I bet you learned some stuff from Belphegor too." 

Gokudera scrunched up his nose in irritation at that reminder but didn’t say anything to the contrary, merely huffing as he slid forward to lean over the table. His lips turned down unhappily as he remembered just how pale his boss had looked when Gokudera had arrived for the meeting. The multitude of bruises, both old and new, that peeked out from under his boss’ clothes had only made Gokudera feel more antsy and angry, but due to the amount of people that had been filtering inside at that time, he had been forced to keep quiet. 

But now… now that said bruises and injuries were gone, it felt too late to say anything about it. He knew logically that what the Tenth was saying was true, that it had been for the sake of training, but Gokudera couldn’t help but to still feel irritated about it all. Although he knew he couldn’t protect the Tenth for everything… Gokudera wanted to, so badly. 

Tsuna could tell that Gokudera was upset about it, despite his words. It put him off a bit since he could usually calm the other with a few words. The brunette stayed silent for a moment, looking down at himself. He realized that he found the sight of his unblemished arm rather foreign and was slightly horrified that he had gotten used to the sight of himself bruised and injured. Xanxus was rough and unforgiving. Tsuna hadn't forgotten that, but maybe he overlooked it. Could Gokudera be more worried than he thought he was? 

"Gokudera-kun, I'm sorry if I worried you," Tsuna said softly. He reached out his hand, staring at Gokudera’s shoulder and wondering if a reassuring touch would be appropriate. However no matter how he tried to push his hand forward, it never got any closer and he ended up awkwardly holding his hand out before placing it back into his lap, disheartened at his own cowardice. 

Gokudera saw his boss’ movements out of the corner of his eye, and he began tensing instinctually, though he was soon overcome by a sense of disappointment that he tried his best to ignore. He tried to focus on his boss’ words instead, and flashed a small hesitant smile towards the brunette. “Ah, no…” Gokudera swiftly shook his head, and his smile turned more eager as he sought to reassure his boss. “You don’t have to apologize about anything, Tenth. This isn’t your fault!” Gokudera insisted. 

Tsuna blinked as Gokudera changed his mood so quickly. He wondered if he would ever get used to it. "Ah." He mustered up a smile after a couple moments. "I guess. But... I still worried you. So, I guess what I wanted to say is "thanks." For looking out for me," he said, laughing nervously as he rubbed the back of his head and looked down at his lap in embarrassment. He felt a rush of warmth hit him then. Gokudera was always looking out for him… Tsuna was really grateful. 

Gokudera couldn’t help but to feel embarrassed as well, though it was overcome with the pride he felt. The Tenth’s words made him flush happily. “Ah, I…” Gokudera felt his throat begin to grow funny as his stomach somersaulted repeatedly. “O-of course. As your right-hand man, I’m always going be looking out for you, Tenth!” Gokudera felt the words slip out of him automatically. But although that had been what he had wanted to say, what he really felt was way more intense than just that. 

Tsuna’s cheerful mood slipped away from him upon hearing these words. He frowned slightly and couldn't help but to utter the next few words that slipped out from his lips. "Only as my right-hand man…?" he asked softly, almost sadly, before he suddenly realized what he had said. His eyes widened, and he coughed slightly to cover up the intense feeling of embarrassment that suddenly overwhelmed him. "Um," he squeaked. "We should... we should probably go downstairs," he said with a nervous laugh as he moved to stand up. 

Gokudera felt his heart jolt slightly at the Tenth’s soft words. His ears tingled hotly. His chest too. He felt a rush of affection, mixed with hesitance. 

At this moment, all he could recall was that moment, which seemed so far away from now; that day where they had stopped by his house to hang out after school, soon after his boss had gotten out of the hospital. 

At that time too, Tsuna seemed disappointed with the barrier Gokudera continued to instill between them. The barrier between subordinate and boss. When he had been confronted about that, Gokudera hadn’t been sure what type of answer he would give the brunette. But now… 

As Gokudera stared at Tsuna, who was standing up, hurriedly trying to pull back, the silver-haired boy couldn’t help but to reach out and latch onto the other’s wrist. He could feel his cheeks heat up slightly at his daring, and his throat clogged up for a moment, preventing him from speaking the words that he so longed to say to the other. 

Tsuna visibly froze, and the longer he stood there, immobile, the more Gokudera’s heart pounded anxiously. As their eyes met silently, something told Gokudera right there, that he needed to say it. Even if his usual hesitations were still weighing him down, slowing him from acting, something told him that right now, if he didn’t say what he knew the other needed so desperately to hear… 

He would regret it for the rest of his life. 

“Tenth...” Gokudera finally found his voice, though it came out as a whisper, his tone low and intimately spreading across the room. The title felt so different at this moment, as if the self-imposed barriers that Gokudera always put between them with it weren’t there anymore. “I… I didn’t mean…” How could he make Tsuna understand, Gokudera wondered. How could he explain that even though Gokudera knew he was still saying the same things as before, their meaning had by now changed completely? 

Gokudera swallowed slightly and tightened his grip on his boss’ wrist. “I’ll always worry about you, Tenth,” the smoker told him, in that fond warm tone that he was prone to use when speaking of his boss. However, he licked his lips then, and forced himself not to look away from the brunette’s eyes. “Not… because I’m your right-hand man,” Gokudera continued, making sure to assure him of that. “And not because you are the Tenth.” Gokudera felt his heart hammer across his chest, and his voice shook slightly as he confessed, in a low but heartfelt whisper: 

“But… because the person I want to protect, is Tsuna.” 

Tsuna’s eyes widened. He slowly found himself sinking back down to sit beside the other. He listened and his heart pounded without mercy. His chest burned and his ears blocked out everything but Gokudera's voice.  
  
And then he said it. And Tsuna let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Gokudera-kun..." he whispered softly.  
  
He gripped the hand that clutched his own and looked deeply into the other's green eyes, which were swimming with an emotion that was too intense for Tsuna to label. The sight left him breathless. It was as if in that moment, with just that confession, all of hesitant feelings he had been holding disappeared.   
  
"I..." Tsuna bit his lip, and once again felt that pull from before. His heart hammered as he leaned in to the other slightly, only to stop and stare into those wide, green eyes. 

Wordlessly, the two came to a mutual agreement. 

 "G-Gokudera-kun... Thank you..." he whispered quietly, truly grateful, before he leaned forward those last couple inches and kissed Gokudera with a deep longing that had been simmering for far too long. 

 

* * *

 

Ono headed over to visit his prisoner in a delightfully wicked mood. He was only mildly upset that he had not had the time to visit his dear prisoner yesterday, but it really couldn’t have been helped. There were things to do after all, especially now that the week was about to end. But thankfully, today Ono happened to have some free time, which allowed him to partake in what was currently his favorite activity of the day. 

Teasing one Hibari Kyouya. 

The mere thought of doing so made Ono’s grin widen further, though he was quick to tone it down a bit as he entered the prison where their captive was being held. The prefect was still in the same position Ono had left him last time, though this wasn’t a surprise at all. The redhead had instructed whoever had been in charge of feeding the prefect to not move him. 

“Good evening, Mr. Prefect.” Ono grinned as he stepped towards the cell the other was still tied to. 

Hibari was exhausted. The pain in his broken wrist now throbbed gently up his arm, but he hardly felt it anymore. The only time he did feel it was when sleep tried to take him. Hibari would gently slide down the bars until the ropes tugged at his injured wrist and a jolt of pain would wake the prefect up once more. Hibari hadn't slept in two days as a result. 

He leaned his cheek against the cold metal, his eyes half-lidded. The exhaustion was making his body slow. He couldn't think correctly and it even took him a few moments to realize that there was someone standing in front of him. Hibari narrowed his eyes as he recognized the person, though his glare was considerably tamer considering he was ready to pass out. 

Ono took note of his prisoner’s current weak state with much amusement. So this is what the infamous Hibari Kyouya could be reduced to after only a few days of being under the Vendetta’s hands. Ono couldn’t resist the urge to smirk widely in satisfaction. 

“Aw, no need to look at me like that.” Ono chuckled as usual and leaned close to drape himself over the cell’s bars. “I wouldn’t want you to waste more energy than necessary. After all, you look _so_ tired.” Ono ran his fingers down the other’s oily ebony locks. 

Hibari turned his head away as he felt the hand in his hair. His head lolled weakly to the side and he grimaced slightly. "And whose fault is that..?" he muttered, not looking at the redhead now. 

Ono’s grin turned sharp with delight. “You’ll have to forgive me.” His fingers chased after the other’s hair, before softly gripping the back of his prisoner’s neck and turning it to face him directly. Ono was currently leaning into the bars, which was the only barrier that was preventing the redhead’s forehead from leaning against the other’s. “But I do happen to recall warning you to behave. Now if you had been a _good_ boy…” Ono shrugged lightly, giving his prisoner a lopsided carefree grin. “Well, we would have welcomed you into our Family with open arms, my dear prefect. After all, the great Hibari Kyouya has been renowned for his fierce fighting skills, unwavering determination, and endless blood thirst. You would have fit in among us quite perfectly!” Ono’s lips quirked upward, but then he shook his head a little. 

“Or at least, that’s what I thought before.” Ono chuckled slightly. “Now, I’m not so sure.” 

Hibari glared slightly, his head limply following Ono's hold. He didn't like how close the redhead was. He hated that grin. He loathed the voice. But right now, Hibari didn't have the strength to resist. "I don't need to fit in," he said simply, his voice devoid of emotion. "I live freely and I wouldn't join even if you asked." 

“Oh, I think we already know that by now, Mr. Prefect.” Ono chuckled once more, before releasing his grip on the other and moving back a step. “Boss looked a bit disappointed by your constant refusal to join us, but really, I’m under the firm belief that he never cared at all.” 

Ono put a dramatic hand over his chest. “Me, on the other hand…” He sighed despondently. “I’ll have to admit that I feel dreadfully upset that you won’t be with us for much longer. It pains me to think about it, really!” he added, although his sulky tone didn’t match the bright laughter than shone in his eyes.

Hibari frowned, glaring at Ono for a moment and mulling over his words. Won't be with us for much longer...? What did that mean? Were they going to kill him? Normally, he would have laughed at such a notion, but... his situation was different now. 

"And where am I going to go?" he asked, leaning his head to the side and against one of the prison bars. As usual, Hibari had a talent to look relaxed even when his mind was buzzing like an angry beehive. 

 “Oh, no need to look so worried.” Ono shot his prisoner a mischievous smile. “We’re not going to kill you just yet,” he assured him, and stepped back into the prefect’s range. This time, his fingers slid down the bars slowly until they reached the edges of the prefect’s untucked shirt. 

“Did you think we forgot about your little foal?” Ono murmured softly, smiling down at the other as his fingers played with the edges of the white shirt. The redhead shook his head with mock-reassurance. “No, you’ll soon be out of our hands, but most definitely not out of our minds. I told you before, right? The boss has plans for this child.” Ono gripped onto the coarse fabric in his fingers and pulled the other closer to him with it. He intrusively began tracing a path over the clothed stomach. “You can rest assured, Mr. Prefect, that this child will grow up strong,” the redhead murmured in a dark low tone. 

Hibari grimaced and growled slightly, feeling the distasteful hand touching his stomach. He tried to flinch away, but the step away from the bars tugged at his wrist and he winced as the jolt of pain shot up to his shoulder this time. But he didn't step closer to the bars again. "Stop touching me..." he growled, growing protective now as he slipped a leg through the bars and shoved it towards Ono, his foot pushing at one of his knees because he didn't really have the strength to lift it any higher. 

Ono smirked at that pathetic display. 

It amused him to see the supposedly unbreakable prefect looking so cornered. But he couldn’t help but to wonder just how much more amusing their time together would had been had the other not been pregnant. How much more would the prefect been able to endure before reaching this point? 

A pity Ono would never know. 

“Ah, well,” he murmured and sighed aloud. He turned to focus his attention to the quiet little bird that lay still a couple of feet away from Hibari’s cell. He poked at the bird slightly, wanting it to see it stir. 

Hibird did, indeed, stir. The bird hopped nervously away from Ono's finger, still wary of the lightning bars as well. 

Ono chuckled, and without looking at the prefect, the redhead then thought to ask the other, "Hey, do you know what day it is today?” Ono's lips began to quirk up once more as a thought suddenly popped up in his mind. 

Hibari's eyebrow twitched at this, though he refused to lose his temper again. He just stared at Ono challengingly, wishing he could completely destroy him, wanting nothing more than to just kill him. 

"No. But I'm sure you're going to tell me," Hibari muttered, aiming a dark glare at the redhead’s back. 

Ono let out a pleased chuckle at this reaction. “How astute of you,” he teased the other, still not looking at him. Instead, he ran a soft finger down the small bird’s feathers, as if admiring its plumage. “Today is the sixth day of your lovely stay with us. Can you believe it’s already been that long?” Ono asked, his tone slightly wistful. 

“Your dear family will be coming for you soon. Only two days left. They have been working so hard this week, training, putting their best resources into looking for you. Mr. Bronco has certainly seen better days himself, if I do say so myself.” Ono told him as he resumed poking the bird towards the lightning charged bars. 

“Aren’t you glad to know that they’ve been thinking about you so much? For someone who claims not to be attached to anyone, you’re surprisingly well cared for, you know.” Ono’s eyes were shadowed by his fringe as he said so. The next time he looked up, while his lips were spread into his usual clownish grin, his eyes were firm and cold. “Well, in the end it doesn’t really matter if you care about them or not. Because we’re going to kill every single one of them before they even think of getting to you.” Ono’s eyes turned dark with excitement, his grin widening slightly. 

"And then finally, the Vendetta will regain its rightful place in the mafia world," Ono murmured this last part to himself. 

Hibari narrowed his eyes as Hibird flitted about nervously. Listening to the redhead talk this way made Hibari wonder what exactly those herbivores had been doing. But there was one thing that was for sure.  
  
"You're wrong," Hibari said without any hesitation. "The Bucking Horse is the strongest person I've had the pleasure to bite. Sawada Tsunayoshi is also strong when he needs to be. Those other guys too. They may look small and weak now but…"  
  
Hibird, not being able to find a way out, immediately bit Ono hard on his finger.  
  
"…small animals have ways of surviving," Hibari finished simply.

"Such confidence." Ono snorted in amusement both at these words as well as the bird’s bite. The wound barely stung although the bird's beak had managed to draw a little blood. Ono wiped the small wound on the bird's feathers before flicking it away rather harshly and turning to stand once more.   
  
"But I think you are forgetting something very vital here, Mr. Prefect." Ono slowly examined the other with a considerately smug expression, his eyes lingering on his prisoner's tired posture and his aching wounds. The redhead made no move to approach him, merely smiling as he spoke next. "In a world full of carnivores, the herbivores will always be bitten to death." Ono's soft footsteps resounded throughout the room, careful and deliberate as he headed for the door. "Even you, Kyouya." One's soft taunt echoed against the prison's every wall, and the redhead flashed the other one last smirk before finally taking his leave. 

Hibari glared at Ono as he left. He looked at Hibird, thinking for a couple minutes as he stared at the now bloodstained yellow puffball. Hibird looked back at him and Hibari lifted a finger on his good hand. He swayed it back and forth like a conductor's baton and Hibird began to sing.  
  
There was absolutely no chance that Hibari would be bitten. After all, this was Namimori. Hibari was the law and order in this town and the prefect wouldn't settle for anyone trying to knock him down. 


	28. Target 27: The Calm before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys!
> 
> Sorry for the late update this week. With Leezzee out of town due to Comic Con this week, it became a little hard to meet the deadline. Nevertheless, here's Day Seven! Enjoy the peace while you can, because next chapter, it's about to get wild!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Extreme 5927 fluff. Extreme.
> 
> Hope you enjoy ;)

* * *

**DAY SEVEN**

* * *

 

Take a break and rest. That's what the kid told him to do but Yamamoto couldn't really rest at all. He just lay back in his futon that morning, staring at the ceiling. He had been unable to sleep much last night, the anticipation of what tomorrow might bring keeping him awake.

Tomorrow... Tomorrow was the day they'd attack the Vendetta base.

Sitting here now, with nothing to do, no Squalo swinging a sword at him, and no sound besides his own breathing, Yamamoto couldn't help but feel nervous.

After a long while, Yamamoto stood up and got dressed before heading down to the sushi shop. "Yo, Pops! Morning!" he called as he headed down the stairs.

"Morning, Takeshi!" Tsuyoshi nodded in greeting to his son, giving him a small grin as he continued preparing for the day. It would be time to open shop in a couple of hours, and there were still many things to do. "You're up early again. Off to meet your friend?" he asked.

"Nah, not today." Yamamoto scratched his head and walked over to the counter. "Mind if I help?"

"Knock yourself out, kid."

Yamamoto smiled and grabbed an apron before washing his hands and moving to stand next to his dad. As much as he needed to rest, he needed something to do. His fingers were already twitching a bit nervously.

Tsuyoshi smiled lightly, happy his son had offered to help out. But he was also concerned to note that his son appeared to be looking anxious once again. This had been going on for a while already (ever since his other friend had ended up in the hospital, really), but Tsuyoshi had been happy to note a few days ago that his son had finally cheered up.

He wondered what was wrong now.

Unaware of his father's worry, Yamamoto reached for a knife and began to quietly help him with the preparations. He already knew what to do and did it without instruction, having helped his father for many years now. But even as he worked, his mind continued to wander off to tomorrow and what would happen. Then guilt began to churn his stomach, and the sushi that had made his mouth water since he was a child suddenly looked very unappetizing. He stared for a moment at the fish he was cutting before glancing at his father. He would want to know. Yamamoto knew he would. And he was sure it'd be okay.

"So, Pops," he said, keeping his tone casual and his smile steady without stopping the movement of his hands. "There's a big fight tomorrow that I'm resting for today. It's what I've been practicing for."

Tsuyoshi raised a surprised brow at this, but he didn't stop the quick movements of his knife against the cutting board. It's not like he was startled by this fact, but it was surprising to hear his son actually say so. Tsuyoshi gave his son an encouraging smile. "You've been hard at work all week. Make sure to do me proud, eh?" The sushi chef's smile turned teasing then. "Though more importantly, do me a favor and keep that wrinkled expression off your face, Takeshi. It doesn't suit you."

Yamamoto blinked at his father before grinning brightly as the nervousness seemed to vanish. "Yeah, thanks, Pops. No need to worry! I got it in the bag. Squalo's been helping me train hard, and I've gotten stronger, so I'm sure things will be fine." Yamamoto grinned, knowing then that he believed his words wholeheartedly.

 _Ah,_ Tsuyoshi had to hide the fond look that had surfaced on his face upon noting his son's returning enthusiasm.  _So that's what had been worrying him. That silly kid..._  He should have expected it, but Tsuyoshi hadn't thought his son would have been that concerned about what his opinion on this matter was.  _When I trained you to use a sword, I knew what you would be getting into eventually,_ Tsuyoshi thought exasperatedly for a second but said nothing aloud, instead shrugging as his lips tilted up slightly with amusement. "I'm sure you'll do fine, son. But don't let your guard down," he added seriously, though his cheerful attitude returned a moment after. "Make sure to bring your friends over after. We'll have a party!" he said, with an encouraging grin.

Yamamoto nodded seriously at his father's words but then lit up considerably at the promise of a party. He was sure that when Hibari was rescued and the Vendetta was defeated, the group would love to come over to celebrate. "Yeah! A party sounds great! Thanks, Pops!" He smiled brightly, fantasizing for a moment about a party so great, even Hibari would want to join.

"Any time, Takeshi." Tsuyoshi's eyes softened with fondness upon seeing how happy his son finally looked. They continued working like that for a while, but not long after, a familiar voice barked out across the shop.

" _VOOOOOOOOIIIIIIII!"_  The door of the store slammed open. Squalo's usual miffed expression was glaring in the direction of black-haired swordsman. "Where the hell have you been, you damn brat?" The Varia member scowled.

"Oh, Squalo!" Yamamoto looked up and smiled as if the swordsman had walked in with a normal greeting. "Since tomorrow is the fight, the kid told us all to rest today. I thought you knew." Yamamoto laughed and rubbed the back of his head apologetically. "Sorry if I didn't mention it." He moved out from behind the counter and walked over. A bright smile spread across his lips. "Since you're here, want something to eat?"

"Like hell!" Squalo waved his sword arm sharply in the direction of the other, his forehead creasing in irritation as he glared at the brat. "You still have a long way to go before you can think about resting, you fucking brat!" he growled.

"Oh, come on!" Yamamoto insisted. "Even my baseball coach tells me it's always important to rest before a big game." He nodded as if he was imparting a wise bit of advice. "It's important to kick back and relax for a while."

Squalo twitched at the mention of baseball. Ever since he had met this kid, the sport had become a distasteful topic to him, especially when spoken about through the brat's mouth. "Now you listen here!" Squalo growled with irritation as he moved to grip at the brat's apron, pulling him close to him as his glowered darkly at his student. "You'll get all the rest you want after I—!"

"Maa, maa. Looks like your friend could definitely go for some food, Takeshi. Close the door and bring him over, will you?" Tsuyoshi interrupted then, his voice non-threatening but loud enough to gather both of their attention. The sushi chef's eyes were shadowed as he spoke though his face was calm. And then, with quick, calculated strikes, Tsuyoshi prepared an entire plate of sushi in three swift movements. The food fell perfectly on to the plate that he then pushed over the counter. With a blithe, unthreatening smile, he gestured towards it. "Now, no need to hold back, boys," he said, before continuing his work.

Squalo's grip on Yamamoto's shirt loosened at this display, and he couldn't help but to gape slightly at this.

"Ooh, nice, Pops." Yamamoto gave a little clap and smiled, completely unperturbed by Squalo's grip on his apron and his shouting threats. He slipped out of the other's grasp and closed the door behind Squalo before grabbing his normal hand. "Come on in, Squalo," he said, tugging him towards the counter before taking off his apron and sitting down. "Wow, this looks great!"

Squalo regained his bearings as the Rain brat began dragging him, and he was quick to snatch his hand away. He glared at the boy for a moment, before turning said glare towards the brat's father. He pointed his sword hand challengingly towards the sushi chef then. "Old man! I-"

"Oh? Not quite to your taste?" Tsuyoshi interrupted with a friendly grin on his face. "Give it a try first! You might end up liking it more than you think." The sushi chef encouraged Squalo to eat before turning to address his son. "Takeshi, I'll leave you in charge here for a bit. I'll be upstairs, but call me if you need anything." He gave an encouraging nod to them both. "Don't hold back now. You can't start a good day with an empty stomach," he told them wisely, before turning to head up the stairs.

"H-hey! Wait! Get back here, old man!" Squalo shouted after getting over the shock of being interrupted and moved to chase after him.

"No problem, I'll take care of it!" Yamamoto waved as his father left up the stairs. When he saw Squalo moving after him he reached out and grabbed hold of his sleeve to stop him. He knew exactly what Squalo wanted and he knew his father knew it as well. And if his father didn't want to indulge Squalo in a challenge, Yamamoto would respect those wishes. "My pops is an old guy and he needs lots of breaks to keep his stamina up. You should probably leave him alone. Why don't you eat in the meantime?" Yamamoto smiled. "We can't just leave the food here. And I'm sure my old man will come back down later."

Squalo growled in irritation, but in the end decided to just sit down at shot a seething glare at the sushi instead. He made no move towards the food, and instead sat there deep in thought.  _That old man… he's strong. Stronger than this kid._  Squalo shot an irritated side glance at the kid he had been training all week. Although he had been growing strong, he still had a long way to go. A long way. Squalo didn't think the other would ever grow strong enough to truly challenge him again, not while he still treated the sword as a sort of side hobby.

 _What the hell is this old man playing at though?_ Squalo wondered, biting at his lip in irritation. After seeing those skills, Squalo knew that the brat's father was a true swordsman. What Squalo didn't understand was why he was wasting his skill as a sushi chef of all things.  _This family is full of idiots,_ Squalo decided then, and couldn't help but to let out an irritated growl at the thought, because he realized more than anything that the Rain brat could surpass his father if only he would fucking focus! Squalo would have to find a way to make it so. Someone with this much potential couldn't be allowed to waste it needlessly. Squalo wouldn't let him. But in the meanwhile…

_That old man…I'll fight him someday._

* * *

 

"There you are! Where have you been this past week, pyon!"

Chrome looked at Ken and blinked. "Oh...Um… I've been doing stuff…" She spoke quietly, holding on to her trident. "Sorry."

"Yeah, you better be sorry!" Ken scoffed as he headed back to open a bag of snacks, "Not like I was worried about you, anyway. It's just that if Mukuro-san had come, we wouldn't be able to see him! Right, Kaki-pi?"

"Hn." Chikusa didn't glance up from the book he was reading on the couch. He merely adjusted his glasses as he said in his usual deadpan tone, "You bought too much chocolate again, didn't you, Ken?"

Ken stopped at that. "It's not too much!" he said before grabbing a bag and throwing it at Chrome. "She can have the extra!" he said, pretending to not care, but he was, in fact, worried that she wasn't eating much.

Chrome caught it with a shocked gasp, fumbling slightly but smiled a bit when it settled without falling on the floor. "Thank you, Ken... I'll eat it later," she said, putting it down on a table.

Ken huffed slightly. "Don't thank me! I didn't buy it for you!"

Chikusa frowned slightly, though this was hidden by his book. "Chrome, you haven't eaten yet, have you?" he asked, and though his voice had more of a curious tone, it was undeniably accusing.

Chrome looked down at that and spoke in an even quieter voice than before, if that was possible. "I... I ate yesterday," she murmured. She had gotten a small bread loaf from a convenience store. That's all she had eaten.

"It's already noon!" Ken shouted in indignation.

Chikusa let out a sigh at this, as if that had been exactly what he had expected to hear. He put his book down then and sat up slightly, reaching from behind the couch to grab at a bag of chips he had been hiding from Ken. "Here," he said, and threw that to her as well. He then gave Chrome a glance over for the first time since she had stepped into the room.

"If you're going to go off by yourself again, make sure to eat something first. You'll be no use to anyone if you collapse," he told her in his usual quiet voice.

Once again, Chrome had to fumble to catch it. She nodded timidly, knowing it was true.

"Yeah! And Mukuro-san shares that body too so you better take care of it!" Ken added.

"I will... I'm sorry..." Chrome said softly, looking at the chips for a moment before looking at them. "Um... I'm going to be leaving again tomorrow..."

"Huh?! Where are you going this time?!" Ken looked annoyed at this.

"Ken." Chikusa gave the blonde a small quieting glance before turning to look at Chrome again. "You're going to go help them again, aren't you?" he asked, a small frown on his face as he did so. But he then sighed and moved to lean back on the couch. "I don't care if Mukuro-sama doesn't mind. But don't do anything reckless."

Chrome nodded to Chikusa at his question before smiling a bit.

"Jeez, I don't get why you always have to help those guys." Ken scowled, "You better eat before going tomorrow! I won't forgive you if you don't, got it?" he said with a growl.

Chrome smiled brightly and nodded. "Thank you, Ken, Chikusa. I will."

Ken's cheeks flushed at that and he turned back to his bag of chocolates. "Shut up, already! You're so annoying!" He huffed.

 

* * *

 

"Hmm." Ryohei stared up at his ceiling with a contemplative frown and a focused, determined look in his eyes. He was lying on his bed, his posture both rigid but at the same time relaxed. This was his idea of resting. "Hmm."

The boxer was currently going over in his head the moves he had learned with Lussuria this past week. Aside from developing his extreme healing power with both the kid and Lussuria, he had also learned many extreme techniques from his fellow Sun user. Ryohei was itching to use them already, so he was very excited about tomorrow. So excited, that he wanted to keep on training for the entire day. But he had learned well from both the kid and Colonnello-shishou that resting was an important part of training.

And so, it was because of this that he resigned himself to shadowboxing in his mind. It was the only thing that he could think of to do to relax.

"Hmmm."

As Ryohei did this, Kyoko was wondering what was so different about the house. She was in her room doing homework, but as much as he tried, she couldn't concentrate. It took her a while to figure out what was bothering her. The house was quiet. Usually, she would hear her brother's spirited yells and grunts coming from his room as he trained, but today there were none. Kyoko tilted her head for a moment and bit her lip before deciding to head over to her brother's room. From outside, she could hear him humming thoughtfully and wondered what was up.

"Onii-chan?" Kyoko knocked on the door, wondering if Ryohei was troubled over something.

"Kyoko?" Ryohei sat up quickly at the sound of his sister's voice. "What is it? Something wrong?" he asked her once she had come inside.

Kyoko walked into the room and smiled a bit, shaking her head. "No, nothing. I'm just wondering about you. You seem like you're thinking really hard about something," she said, walking over. "Is something brothering you? Maybe I can help."

Ryohei's eyes immediately widened with panic at this question, though he did his best to look nonchalant about it. "H-haha, it's nothing, Kyoko!" Ryohei waved his arms erratically for a bit. "Your big bro is just doing some special training at the moment!" he told her, and then began nodding rapidly at his own words.

Kyoko accepted these words without question and smiled softly. "Ah, onii-chan is always working hard, huh?" she said with a tone of admiration, but her bright smile faded away a moment later. "Tsuna-kun too, right? He hasn't been coming to school this past week." She was slightly worried. After all, it hadn't been long since Tsuna had been in the hospital.

Ryohei immediately frowned upon seeing his sister's worried look. "Ah, don't worry about Sawada, Kyoko! He's been doing well!" He scooted forward on his bed, his legs half-dangling over the edge as he reached over to squeeze her arm comfortingly. He flashed a wide excitable grin at her. "We'll all be back in school in no time! So cheer up!"

One thing about having Ryohei as a brother was that you couldn't help but smile when he smiled at you. So Kyoko smiled then, her worries easing away little by little. "Yeah. I'm sure Tsuna-kun is fine. And with you helping him, he'll be better than ever, right, onii-chan?"

"Of course!" Ryohei's grin turned much more excitable as he pumped up his fist determinately. "And as soon as he gets back to school, we'll have an extreme boxing match to celebrate! Haha!" Ryohei exclaimed, and the thing was, he wasn't actually kidding about this. With the way his eyes were shining determinately at his own words, it was probably a good thing that Ryohei currently had his Sun ring stashed away in his pocket, otherwise it would be flaming up at this moment—and that would seriously be kind of hard to explain.

Kyoko giggled softly and smiled. "Just make sure not to take it too hard on Tsuna-kun," she said. "Tomorrow is the sumo tournament you were telling me about, right? I really hope you guys win. Do your best!"

Ryohei nodded firmly, for a split second looking very serious as his stomach tensed in anticipation. But he hid this look quickly. "Don't worry, Kyoko! Just leave it to me!" he told her, and pumped his fist up in the air once more.

They would win. They would save Hibari. And above all, Ryohei would continue to become stronger. It would be dangerous, but Ryohei didn't care about those kinds of things. It just made it all the more fun. And as long as he was able to protect those he cared for, Ryohei would follow Sawada to the ends of the earth.

"There's no way we'll lose!" The Vongola Sun Guardian grinned brightly, his words a powerful promise to both himself and his friends.

Kyoko smiled brightly at her brother's words. Ryohei inspired her every day and this day was no exception. "I'll be cheering for you!" she said.

 

* * *

_Kyouya is going to be angry with me,_  Dino thought with a bit of a humorless smile, his eyes softening slightly as his gaze turned down from the garden and towards the drink he was absently holding.

He had been sitting here all day, drinking—or rather not drinking, really—on the back porch as he tried to calm his nerves.

 _When he finds out how many people have been crowding around here, he is going to bite me to death, isn't he?_ Although Dino could already feel the ache in his jaw at the mere thought, his chest couldn't help but to ease with relief at the same time. Dino longed to see his lover already. The desire was overwhelming, consuming his every thought and every movement. Even now, despite having gulped down a couple of drinks, Dino couldn't help but to keep sober at the thought of the state his lover might be in; was already in.

 _You're safe, aren't you?_ Dino tightened his grip on his glass as he closed his eyes.  _You're strong, aren't you?_  Dino thought that maybe he  _was_  becoming a bit intoxicated after all. That was the only reason why he would be baiting a person who clearly wasn't here.

 _You stupid brat._ Dino let out a loud sigh as he moved to lean forward on the arm resting on his knee. His cheek pressed against the wrinkled cloth bunched up at his elbow, his hand absently playing with the ice cubes in his glass as he stared deep into his drink.

"You're looking a bit somber there, Cavallone."

Gamma stepped out into the porch with a drink of his own. The hand that wasn't holding on to his near-empty glass was nestled inside his pocket.

Dino looked up lazily at the arrival of the Lightning user. He shrugged slightly before motioning the other to sit down. "Can you blame me?" he asked, a small bitter smile crossing his lips for a second.

Gamma shook his head, a small sympathizing frown crossing his own lips. "Can't say that I do," he responded, before moving to join him on the porch.

Dino sighed. He let his eyes fall close once more and allowed his mind to wander.

He listened absently to the sound of Enzo's slow footsteps, softly clattering against the wooden floor; the sound of Romario's murmuring voice speaking to Aria from somewhere inside the house.

Here in this moment, all Dino could think about was Kyouya. How they had met. How they had fought. How they had become everything they were now.

How the surly seventeen-year-old had scowled fiercely at him back then, a murderous glare in his eyes and a challenging smirk at his lips.

How Dino, reckless and drawn by that bloodthirsty aura, had kissed him in a moment of heated combat.

Dino could remember the exact number of bruises that stunt had earned him. He remembered the endless nights he had spent back then, wondering what the heck had come over him all of the sudden. The more he had tried to get his student out of his head, the more the task had become impossible. And somewhere along the way, those emerging feelings of lust had turned into love.

"I used to think that I had gone crazy," Dino spoke up then, his voice soft and private. "I still think that sometimes." Dino snorted, his lips curving fondly.

Gamma raised a brow at the sudden, almost nonsensical confession, sparing an inquisitive side glance at his companion. But Dino merely shook his head and tilted his glass slightly, watching as the liquid pooled over near the edge of the rim.

"It's tough, being in love," Dino clarified after a moment, and turned his head to look at his companion, silent and contemplative.

Gamma's lips twitched slightly as he nodded in agreement at those words.

"Worth it though," he acquiesced lowly, his own gaze turning fond as he stared absently into his drink, as if there was something there that only he could see.

Dino's gaze lit up with approval. "Ahn," he murmured in accord and he held out his drink companionably over to the other blonde, which Gamma didn't hesitate to clink to.

They gulped their glasses down. Dino continued to speak. "Still, I never thought things would lead to all of this," he told the other with a slight shake of his head. "When getting into a relationship like this, you don't exactly expect your male partner to get pregnant." Dino chuckled slightly, ignoring the way his stomach clenched anxiously at his own words.

Gamma shook his head incredulously at this statement. He himself was still in awe that that was even possible. "That must have been quite a shock," he noted.

"I'm sure you can imagine." Dino chuckled dryly, and then shot the other a sly, knowing smirk.

Gamma blinked. "Huh?" The Lightning user tilted his head slightly at the Cavallone boss, his expression blank and questioning as he put his glass down and reached over to pour himself some more.

Dino rolled his eyes at this. "There's no need to worry. Aria's already told me," he assured him.

Gamma furrowed his brows slightly at this. "…Told you, what exactly?"

Dino blinked dumbly for a moment, wondering if they were that drunk or if that had been a trick question. "That… she's also pregnant?" he voiced with a bit of bemused tone.

There was a moment of silence.

"S-she…. She's WHAT!?" Gamma's eyes widened with shock. His expression was one of stunned disbelief.

Dino gaped slightly at this response. "Wait, you… didn't know?"

Gamma slowly shook his head, looking pale and panicked, and almost strangely warm. The blonde right-hand man then shut his eyes tightly, running a hand over his forehead as he tried to pinpoint when exactly—no, how exactly it was that he had missed something as important at this. Almost immediately, his mind began recalling the subtle little hints his boss had been dropping for a couple of weeks now. The realization led Gamma to groan in frustration.

"N-no way…" Gamma's stomach somersaulted in nervousness, his face flushing, and his heart pounding anxiously as he realized that… that…

 _Holy crap. I'm having a kid?_ _ **We're**_ _having a kid?_  Gamma's hand jerked slightly as it moved to reach for his glass once again. He took a quick, shallow gulp of his drink, feeling the alcohol burn down his throat that allowed his mind to clear at that moment.

"I need to go," Gamma muttered, his face still looking utterly doubtful, not to mention confused as he stood up tersely from his spot, and turned to head into the house with surprisingly little coordination.

 _Um, whoops,_ Dino thought, feeling entirely bewildered himself over what had just suddenly happened. He watched the Lightning user stumble off to find Aria, and wasn't sure if to be amused or concerned about the way the other looked about ready to walk into one of the walls.

Aria was inside, making dinner alongside Romario and having pleasant conversation with the man as well. But it was when she heard Gamma's shocked voice from the porch that Aria excused herself. She gave a knowing smile to Romario before walking out of the kitchen in time to see her right-hand man stumble his way inside.

"Good evening, Gamma," she said with an innocent smile. "Having a nice drink, I see?"

Gamma's head shot up towards his boss upon hearing her voice, and for once dizzying second he had no idea what to even say. But then, "Is it true?" Gamma's mouth blurted out before his mind could even begin to get his thoughts together. His eyes darted from his boss' calm, smiling face, down to her stomach, and back up. "A-are you really…?" The blonde couldn't bring himself to even ask properly. His stomach fluttered nervously, incredulously, as he waited for her answer.

Aria's smile changed then. As she heard Gamma's nervous voice, her disposition changed from innocent to gentle and fond. Aria walked over and stood in front of Gamma before nodding softly. "Yes." She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. Visibly, it didn't look any different, but once Gamma had his hand on it, there was a bump.

Gamma felt his heart stop shortly as his mind struggled to process all of this.

"You…" Gamma's hand felt warm and heavy against his boss' stomach. "Why didn't you tell me?" Gamma's voice turned to a murmur then, his gaze questioning and soft. The palm of his hand slid over to hold her waist then, his fingers holding on to her firmly but gently. Protectively.

Aria looked at Gamma, her hands resting gently on his shoulders. "I didn't really know how," she whispered softly, running her fingers across the fabric of his suit. She smiled again. "And I figured you'd find out sooner or later. You're a smart man, Gamma." She placed her hand on his cheek then.

Gamma closed his eyes for a second, leaning into to her touch. As the warmth of her fingertips spread through him, a fierce, intense feeling formed at his chest. Gamma's arms then moved to envelop his boss in a tight hug. "Aria…" Gamma's voice murmured against her ear, sounding happy and tender. There were no more words that needed to be said then. At least, none that Gamma could think of.

Aria wrapped her arms around Gamma's neck and smiled softly when she heard her lover whisper her name in such a gentle way. She held on tightly. "I love you, Gamma," she whispered, softly kissing his cheek.

"And I, you," he murmured in agreement, his arms tightening his hold on her protectively.

Lost in their own world, the both stood there for a while longer. Dino, who had been discreetly watching this scene for a couple of minutes, rounded the corner back towards the porch then, no longer wanting to intrude on the private moment. There was a bittersweet expression lingering on his face as he plopped down on the floor once more.

 _Just wait a little longer, Kyouya,_ Dino thought as he fiddled slightly with the Sky Ring on his finger.  _Just a little more._

Dino's expression was serious and determined as he stared up at the cloudy sky. The ring on his hand had lit up brightly.

_I won't let anyone stand in my way anymore._

* * *

 

Tsuna sat on his bed, silently. Thinking. They had encountered only one Vendetta member and knew absolutely nothing about the rest of the members. Tactfully, it was the worst position they'd ever been in. But even though now was the time to be panicking and in distress, Tsuna felt an unnatural calm wash over him. He could see the situation with a clear eye and all its possibilities. Reborn had taught him this and his super intuition helped.

But even though Tsuna could think about it didn't mean he wanted to.

The brunette sighed again and lay back on his bed with a small frown. He wanted to stop thinking about it, because at this rate, he was never going to get any sleep later. He tried to clear his mind but it didn't seem to work. Never did, really. This had been going on the entire morning. Even the kids couldn't serve as a good distraction. He had just ended up spacing out about their big day tomorrow, especially when he saw Lambo.

That was another think that worried him. Lambo was a child. What if they couldn't get him into the bazooka in time and what if Adult Lambo was still not enough? Tsuna couldn't help but to worry, though these thoughts had lessened after Tsuna made Reborn promise to let one of the others take watch over Lambo for the mission. Reborn surprisingly agreed and looked like he had a plan.

Another thing was-

 _No! I have to stop thinking about this! Thinking about this obsessively isn't going to help!_ Tsuna got up from his bed and sighed before stretching slightly and grabbing his phone. For the first time that day, his thoughts traveled to something other than the Vendetta as he wondered about what Gokudera was doing.

Unfortunately, thinking about Gokudera only made him more restless than before. Tsuna bit his lip as he noticed Gokudera hadn't texted him all day. Tsuna frowned and wondered why. It was unusual. He decided to text Gokudera, asking how he was.

But when the other didn't answer any of the three texts Tsuna sent within the following hour, the brunette started to get concerned. He remembered the last time Gokudera hadn't answered his phone and Tsuna couldn't help the panic that bubbled up inside him at the thought. He decided to go check up on him.

After talking with Reborn, the Arcobaleno agreed to let Tsuna go. The young mafia boss was out of the house in seconds. Tsuna made his way to Gokudera's apartment and knocked on the door. He didn't smell any gunpowder so he was sure that Gokudera hadn't been in a fight. At least he was keeping true to the resting day. Oh wait, what if Gokudera was just taking a nap and Tsuna was fretting over nothing? What if he had disturbed Gokudera while he was doing something? Was he even home? Tsuna wondered if he should just head home, but he didn't want to. And besides, standing once more at this familiar door made him think one pronounced thought.

_I want to see Gokudera-kun._

* * *

 

Gokudera had barely moved from his room all day. Aside from feeding Uri and getting some sustenance into himself, the bomb-user had mainly been pensive and restless as he leaned against the opened window next to his bed, staring blankly down at the streets as he smoked the day away.

It wasn't as if he was worried about tomorrow though. Although part of him knew that he probably should be, he could only feel calm and confident about it. Not to mention, his mind was much too full with thoughts of the Tenth to think about things like that…

He couldn't get what had happened yesterday out of his head.

_The feeling of their lips pressed against each other made Gokudera's breath shorten. He felt dizzy, giddy even, and the only way he could steady himself was by inching forward and taking the Tenth's head into his hands. Gokudera's fingers brushed softly against the skin of his boss' neck, his thumbs rubbing against the edge of his earlobes as his fingertips curled and pulled the other closer._

_The moment felt so right. All the side-glances they've been exchanging for weeks now, all the hesitant smiles and touches they had shared, everything culminated into this moment._

_A wave of happiness and relief crashed over Gokudera, intermingled with the fear that was always there, cautioning him not to mess up._

_It was that fear that made Gokudera never want to let go._

_But eventually they had to._

_They broke apart, and the Tenth looked so flushed, so timidly happy. Neither of them said anything for a moment. Gokudera stared at the other and had to resist the urge to throw his arms over the brunette. He already missed their closed distance. His hands curled up on his lap as he restrained himself, and he stared at them for so long, swallowing, wondering what to do next, or what to say._

Gokudera smiled slightly to himself, and took another long drag of his cigarette. His fingers brushed against his lips as he did so, and he almost wanted to linger there, as if the contact would help him remember better the warmth of Tsuna's lips.

" _Gokudera-kun…" Tsuna's voice was soft when he finally gathered the courage to speak. He looked so determined, but it was Gokudera, for once, whom was afraid to talk this time. The bomb-user was full of thoughts and memories of their experiences thus far. Their disastrous first kiss, which had been so impulsive and badly timed, came to mind at first, before the memory quickly shifted into another. Twenty-five-year old Tsuna was looking down at him with a smile, murmuring his name like a promise. It was a fact that had allowed Gokudera to feel hope then. Knowing that his feelings were reciprocated, if not now, then in the future, had set Gokudera at ease, and given him courage—at least, until reality crashed down on him and Tsuna had returned with that stricken, bloody state that still gave Gokudera nightmares._

_It was that that reminded Gokudera where his priorities lay._

' _I have to protect him' had become a mantra in Gokudera's head that had taken priority over anything else. He'd rededicated himself to fulfilling that promise, and he had done his best not to burden the Tenth with his feelings as he did so…_

_Until now._

_Now that they had come back to this point, Gokudera wasn't sure where to proceed._

_Of course, he felt more than happy that they had kissed again. Gokudera felt reassured that it wasn't just him that felt something. Though he'd done nothing to pursue his boss after that first time, there had been a nudging doubt in the back of his mind that wondered if his boss would ever look at him if Yamamoto wasn't in the equation._

_It was a stupid thought though, only influenced by the knowledge of a future that would never come to fruition again; a fear that was now easily discarded as Gokudera glanced up at his boss, whom was looking at him with a familiar longing in his eyes._

" _Tenth…" Gokudera licked his lips, and the two of them stared at each other wordlessly, each wanting to speak first, despite not knowing where to start._

_Unfortunately for both of them, neither got the chance to speak, as Bianchi soon got back home, and Nana announced that dinner was ready._

Gokudera shook his head and sighed. Though he had left his boss' house in a happy mood last night, he still couldn't help but to linger on the memories of yesterday. There was still much that had been left unsaid, and Gokudera was equally disappointed and grateful for yesterday's interruption. He wondered what would have happened, or what the Tenth would have said. But perhaps it was best like this…

Now wasn't exactly the best time to be worrying about their feelings, not with the fight against the Vendetta coming up tomorrow.

"Meow...!" Uri dug his paws into Gokudera's t-shirt insistently, though the silver-haired teen was so deep in his thoughts that he did not regain his bearings until he felt his cat's claws digging into his skin.

"Ouch!" Gokudera jerked his arm away from his cat's vicinity and furrowed his brows in confusion as he stared down at the white feline.

"What is it, Uri? You hungry again?" Gokudera grabbed the small cat and set it on the floor, moving to stand up as well, that he finally noticed that someone was knocking on his front door. He blinked for a second, wondering who in the world would actually be visiting him. The only one that ever really did was…

Gokudera glanced over to his phone that was on his nightstand, and paled slightly upon noticing his screen was flashing, showing him that he had a couple of texts he hadn't noticed coming in.  _Oh crap_. Without even reaching for his phone, Gokudera rushed towards his door, his eyes already wide and apologetic. He pulled open the door and immediately bowed.

"I'm sorry, Tenth!" Gokudera flustered and bowed once more. "I was distracted and didn't notice my phone! I'm sorry for making you come over because of my carelessness! I-"

"Gokudera-kun! It's okay!" Tsuna sighed softly, holding his hands out to placate the other. But a big part of him was hugely relieved at the familiar sight of Gokudera apologizing profusely.

"I guess I'm just being a bit paranoid. I'm just glad you're safe." Tsuna smiled softly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

Gokudera flushed darker and bowed again. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Tenth," he said once more, a bit more calmly but still looking deeply apologetic.

Tsuna smiled softly and placed a hand on Gokudera's shoulder. "It's okay," he insisted. "Really."

It was then that Uri came out and rubbed himself against Tsuna's ankles. He smiled and picked the cat up, rubbing his thumb under the animal's chin. "Hey, Uri." Tsuna smiled. "How's Gokudera-kun been treating you?" He smiled fondly at the kitty.

Uri meowed happily and snuggled into Tsuna's chest, his tail curling around the brunette's arm.

Gokudera straightened up from his bow and looked up fondly at this scene for a second. But then, he became flustered again and began fussing over the other. He wondered if the Tenth wanted to come in, or if he had just wanted to check up on him, and asked him so.

Tsuna looked up at Gokudera and smiled a bit sheepishly. He had come over just to check on Gokudera, but now that he was here… "If you don't mind… Can I come in for a bit?" he asked softly. He didn't really want to leave.

Gokudera nodded and was quick to invite the other in. "Of course, Tenth! Stay for however long you like." The silver-haired teen smiled, as usual happy that the other was visiting him. Although, the thoughts that had been plaguing him not long ago were beginning to surface once the other had come in, which made him slightly tense and nervous.

Tsuna smiled brightly and walked in. "Thanks, Gokudera-kun," he said before putting Uri down again and closing the door behind him. "I hope I'm not intruding on anything, but it's kind of lonely at home. I can't stop thinking about tomorrow." He sighed.

"You shouldn't worry too much about it, Tenth. We'll definitely take those guys down tomorrow!" Gokudera assured him, not liking to see his boss looking so down.

Tsuna looked at him and nodded. "Yeah. I know," he said with a small smile. "I'm sure everyone's gotten a lot stronger." He moved and sat down on Gokudera's couch. Tsuna felt that he had gotten stronger, definitely. And it was largely due to Gokudera's support.

Gokudera couldn't help but to grin at those words, wholeheartedly agreeing. "Definitely! I won't let myself be beaten again." Gokudera assured him with a firm nod. "You can count on me, Tenth! I won't let you down!"

Tsuna smiled and nodded. "I know you won't," he said confidently. Because it was true. Gokudera always managed to pull through for him. He stayed silent for a moment, looking down at the floor as he was lost in thought for a bit. His last encounter with Gokudera was still present in his mind, especially now that he was here, next to him. The brunette swallowed hard for a moment as the urge to pick up where they had left off yesterday resurfaced. "Gokudera-kun... Um..." He didn't exactly know how to bring this up. "About yesterday..."

Gokudera glanced at his boss, slightly surprised the other had decided to bring this up right now. His face flushed slightly, and he looked down at his knees nervously. "Y-yeah?" he prompted, hesitant to say anything himself.

"It's, um... Well..." Tsuna's eyes wandered away from Gokudera and instead stuck to the corner of the table. It seemed so much more difficult to talk about now that it was there. What exactly did he want to say? What was he hoping for? Gokudera definitely seemed to be hoping for something, the way he looked and the tone of his voice and the soft way it started shivers in his chest, making his breathing just a bit shorter. "Well, I was... wondering... thinking about yesterday and what... we did, and..." Tsuna bit his lip.

The Tenth's stammering words made Gokudera's own nervousness increase. His hands clenched slightly, and he found it hard to face the other, no matter how much he wanted to. When the other paused and didn't continue, Gokudera swallowed. His chest felt heavy.

"Did… Does it… bother you, Tenth?" he whispered quietly. He couldn't help but to ask, needing to assuage the last of his fears.

Tsuna had a moment of panic and shook his head quickly. "No! No, no, it didn't- doesn't bother me!" He waved his hands as if to physically make the issue disappear from the air. "That's not it at all, I was just..." Why did he have to deal with this? This was impossible! There was no way he could do it. He just needed to back out now and find a way to escape!

"Well," Tsuna started, intent on changing the subject, but then he looked at Gokudera. He could see the tense muscles and the clenched hands, the set jaw and averted eyes and he realized that Gokudera was just as scared as he was. Tsuna looked down as shame welled up in his chest. Gokudera never ran away from fights. He always faced things head on and he never let his fear overrule him. Gokudera was so brave, and here Tsuna was, planning his own escape when Gokudera was suffering just as much as he. "Well..." He looked back down again. He couldn't abandon Gokudera. "I wanted to tell you that..." Tsuna swallowed. "I like you and I don't mind what we did yesterday, or even what we did before." His words tumbled from his lips and his voice cracked a few times in nerves. "And I just wanted to tell you not to think about it too much or worry..." Tsuna pulled at his fingers, his heart hammering hard as if Reborn had a gun to his head and he was staring death in the face.

Gokudera's initial expression was one of surprise, and it froze there for a second as his heart sped up in his chest. "R-really?" he asked, eager and breathless all at once. Relief, and a warm wave of affection, filled him to the brim, until he thought he couldn't possibly contain it all. A pleased flush reached the top of his cheeks, and he ducked his head to hide his embarrassment and delight.

"I… I like you too, Tenth," he confessed, the words freely falling from his lips. "I always have. But I didn't want to bother you or impose you with my feelings. It… it makes me happy to hear you feel the same." The last few words came out in a stumbling rush.

Tsuna let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. It seemed obvious now that Gokudera liked him back. He didn't know what he had been so scared of. Then again, he'd always been scared of Gokudera, so really, nothing had changed. "You don't bother me." Tsuna shook his head, a bit more relaxed. The returned feelings calmed his nerves and his tension slightly. "It's... really good to hear you say it too." Tsuna flushed a bit.

"I'll say it as many times as the Tenth wants me to then!" Gokudera replied quickly, his tone only becoming more earnest. The silver-haired teen's face was flushed with happiness.

The Tenth liked him. Nothing else could make him happier than this realization. Now that it was out there, Gokudera felt stupid for having danced around this for so long, but he didn't mind. For the Tenth, Gokudera could have waited an eternity.

"I love you, Tenth!" Gokudera couldn't keep the words inside him anymore, and he was fine with that. He didn't have to anymore. The silver-haired teen shifted closer on the couch, and grabbed Tsuna's hands, holding them tightly in his own. He leaned in close, grinning widely as he spoke. "I love you so, so much! I always have and I always will!"

Tsuna flushed as Gokudera grabbed his hands and confessed his lover with such honesty, to straightforward. He felt his heart fluttering in his chest, not quite pounding, but at the same time going so fast it was hard to breathe. He turned his hands in order to grab Gokudera's in return, and his face had to be as red as a Storm Flame. "I… I love you too, Gokudera-kun." He smiled. It was perfect… Well, almost perfect. "But…" Tsuna looked at Gokudera's hands as if he thought what he was about to ask was going to be too much. "Can you… Can you say it again, but with my name?" He looked at him timidly, hoping it would be alright, hoping that Gokudera would be comfortable.

Gokudera froze a little at the request. "Ah…" he said, and blushed slightly. This wasn't the first time the brunette asked this request, and though Gokudera had already freely said his boss' name yesterday, moments before they had kissed, the silver-haired teen still felt embarrassed to be put on the spot. He wasn't sure why he was so hesitant to say the other's name. He had no difficulty calling anyone whatever he liked. It wasn't even a cultural obligation that prevented him from calling the other by his first name; having been born in Italy, Gokudera was more accustomed than any of them to addressing people by the first name.

Still… there was a self-imposed barrier that Gokudera had made from the moment he had met the brunette. The title which he had so readily replaced Tsuna's name with was a sign of both respect, and one that reminded Gokudera of his place.

There was no need for that barrier anymore though, was there?

Despite knowing this, Gokudera couldn't help but to hesitate. He bit his lip before nodding, and clearing his throat. "If that's what the Tenth… No. If that's what you want… T-Tsuna." He flushed, and diverted his gaze, closing his eyes. He didn't understand why he felt so embarrassed to say the other's name, but his heart fluttered as the syllables escaped his lips. "I love you, Tsuna," he repeated again, in a quiet voice, and though the word felt so foreign to say, he found that the more he said it, the easier it became.

Tsuna felt regret at Gokudera's hesitance. Had he asked too much? Was it not appropriate? Was it too soon? He had been about to retract his request when Gokudera said it. Everything around them seemed to go silent and all Tsuna could hear was Gokudera. Gokudera's voice, his breathing. He could have sworn he heard Gokudera's heart too, or was that his own heart pounding in his ears? Tsuna couldn't tell, nor did he have the capacity to find out. All he could think of was Gokudera and the words that had just come out of his mouth.

It was like a huge weight he'd been bearing, a weight he'd been forced to carry ever since he met Reborn, had finally been lifted from him, and he'd never felt this happy. He didn't think he could ever be happier. He didn't think he could feel any more free. Tsuna held Gokudera's hands tighter and smiled brightly, even letting out a small little laugh, as it was simply too much to contain. "Thank you, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna bent his head down, truly grateful for the happiness that Gokudera was giving him. But then he realized, perhaps he should give Gokudera the same happiness. "Um." Tsuna looked back at Gokudera's face, the nerves creeping in again. "Can I ask you one more thing?" Tsuna shifted closer to Gokudera, his face reddening again. "Can I call you by your first name too?"

Gokudera's eyes widened at the request, and it took his brain a moment to catch up with his body. He was nodding before he had realized he was, and as a happy, glowing flush grew on his face, Gokudera rushed to say, "Of course—you can call me whatever you like!" he assured him. "I don't mind at all if it's—if it's you." He struggled not to say the word Tenth.

Tsuna felt relieved and nodded. "Right." He nodded again and tried to swallow. It was hard and it felt like there was a lump in his throat. But he did his best and swallowed again. "I..." Tsuna breathed. Nerves gripped his chest. "I love you, H... Hayato." Tsuna immediately ducked his head and his face flamed red in embarrassment.

Gokudera didn't realize up until that moment how great it would feel to hear his name from the other's lips. His whole face lit up, and he couldn't help it anymore—he squeezed Tsuna's hands briefly, before letting go and throwing his arms around the other. Reassuring declarations of love spilled from his lips as he held onto him tightly.

Everything was perfect. Even with the impending knowledge that they would go into battle tomorrow hanging over their heads, Gokudera felt completely at ease. For the second time that day, Gokudera felt glad that they had decided to stop dancing around their feelings. Knowing where they both stood, knowing that his feelings were actually reciprocated, empowered Gokudera. With a renewed determination, Gokudera vowed to himself once more that he protect the brunette in his arms with all that it took.

Tsuna let out a shocked squeak when Gokudera suddenly pulled him in against his chest. It felt warm and safe and Tsuna couldn't help but wrap his arms around Gokudera in return. He buried his face into his neck and smiled brightly, letting Gokudera's repeated confessions sink into his chest and warm him like a fire. After the first few times, he replied and stayed as close as he could, letting the words flow out until they became natural, until there was no need for nerves or reservations.

Because with Hayato by his side, there was no way he could lose.

 

* * *

 

"Finally." Reborn sighed, sounding completely exasperated as sat back on the roof of the building opposite from Gokudera's apartment. Leon transformed from his binoculars form back to his normal form and settled back on Reborn's hat. "I think those two will be okay now."

"That's a relief." Bianchi was sitting at Reborn's side. She smiled softly at the fortune of her little brother. At last, Hayato would feel the embrace of love. It was one of the biggest things she wished for him. She reached over and picked Reborn up, setting the Arcobaleno in her lap.

Reborn sat there without complaint and leaned back in Bianchi's arms.

"Bianchi," Reborn started after a short bout of silence. "I know you're worried about tomorrow."

Bianchi frowned slightly but nodded. "I know that Hayato and everyone else have all gotten stronger, but I can't help but think that it might not be enough," she whispered, holding on to Reborn just a bit tighter.

The Arcobaleno turned and placed his small hand on her cheek. "Have some faith in Tsuna and his Guardians. Even if they aren't strong enough now, I can guarantee it that they'll grow enough in the time it takes to win. They'll all come out of there alive and well."

Whenever Reborn spoke to her in this way, Bianchi couldn't help but to believe every word. Even then, she was practically leading her brother into the lion's den. Her eyes were filled with worry and distress. "How do you know, Reborn?"

"Tsuna is strong. He's a good boss and a good friend. He would never leave anyone behind." Reborn smirked with confidence. "And besides, he's my student. There's no way he'll fail."

Bianchi looked at Reborn before smiling softly and nodding. "Alright. I believe you."

"Good." Reborn then stood and hopped off Bianchi's lap. "I have some last minute things to take care of, so I'll be going now," he said before walking off.

"See you later, Reborn." Bianchi smiled and waved before looking back up at Hayato's apartment building window.

 _Good luck, my dear Hayato_.

And with that last thought, she too headed off, back home.

 

* * *

 

There was an air of excitement back in the Vendetta base. Everyone was feeling giddy, even if most didn't outwardly show it. The day had finally come…

Tomorrow would finally bring an end to the Vendetta's years of struggles. Tomorrow, the Vongola would finally fall.

Masaru would make sure of it.

"There's no need for me to ask if you have all prepared." Masaru's quiet voice carried across the room. There was a slight, confident smile lingering on his lips. "I know you've all been prepping up for this day, not only this week, but for many years now. Still, I must remind you that tomorrow there will be no room for mistakes." His smile dropped a bit then, and his eyes turned sharp. "Though we have the upper hand, we can't let our guards down against the Vongola. Xanxus' defeat, while welcome, was an unexpected development," he reminded them, leaning forward in his chair as he rested his chin over his gloved hands.

Minato smirked a bit, his thumb caressing the bottom of his ring as he sat at Masaru's right side. "You are worlds stronger than Xanxus, Boss. The Vongola Tenth won't stand a chance," he said, his lips set with his perpetual smile.

"Not to mention my illusions will take care of them quite nicely." Ayumu brushed his hair away from his face before returning his hand to his staff.

Ono snorted. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, Ayumu. Don't forget you're on guard duty," he teased the illusionist; though Ono had to admit, had he not been itching for a fight, he would have been jealous of the Mist user.

And he wasn't the only one. Youta grumbled from the other end of the table, wishing he had been the one who had gotten that task.

Ayumu huffed slightly. "I don't see why it's not you that's guarding Hiba-chan." He shook his head. "Honestly. He's been your job this whole week. I don't know why it suddenly falls to me."

"It falls to you because Ono-kun is needed at the front lines." Minato looked at Ayumu with a level expression, the corner of his lips still tilted upwards. "Stop complaining."

"You won't be missing out on much anyway." Ono smirked confidently.H his posture relaxed as he leaned over the table, cradling his cheek in his hand as he stared at Ayumu. "I'll join up with you as soon as I'm done with my prey." There was a slight pause, and then Ono's smirk turned slyer. "So don't have too much fun without me, yeah?" The redhead chucked.

Ayumu smirked in response, and Yuki groaned. "Oh my god." She looked at them incredulously. "Can you two stop eye-fucking each other so we can get to business?!"

"You getting jealous, Yuki-dear?" Ono teased the girl, turning to look at her with a bit of a leer.

Yuki narrowed her eyes and her lips jutted out slightly, glaring a bit at Ono. To her right, Jiro sighed and looked away, tuning it all out.

"Really, Yuki-chan."Ayumu practically purred. "If you wanted in, you should have just said so," he said before immediately lifting his staff and deflecting a Lightning-charged kunai.

Youta rolled his eyes at this typical exchange.

Masaru, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes and his lips tilted into a frown at his subordinates' easygoing antics. "That's enough," he murmured quietly, though his voice carried clearly across the room.

Ono's smile faltered slightly at his Boss' tone and he straightened up slightly in his chair.

"I won't allow your overconfidence to bring about our defeat," Masaru spoke with slight irritation to all members of the room.

Yuki frowned slightly and sat back in her chair. "Sorry, Boss."

Ayumu just fell silent and averted his gaze, giving his ear a small scratch.

Satisfied with their response, Masaru turned to his right-hand man. "Have the preparations for tomorrow finished then?" he asked.

Minato looked at Masaru and smiled. "Of course. Everything is done and perfectly prepared." He nodded. "Just as you asked."

Masaru smiled, pleased to hear so. "Good." He turned back to address the rest. "Then let's give the Vongola a warm welcome tomorrow." He smirked. "You all know your desired targets. But really, we've been observing the Vongola for so long that you are all capable of handling yourselves despite your opponent."

Ono's grin was sharp and hungry at his Boss' words. "I want Mr. Bronco."

"No." Minato looked at Ono then. "Your target has already been assigned." He took out a file and slid it down the table to Ono.

Ono rolled his eyes and barely glanced down at the file. "Don't be such a bore, Mina-chan!" Ono protested and wrinkled his nose slightly. "I don't want to fight that kid! Come on, let me trade already." This was the third time Ono had had this argument, to no avail. The blonde bastard hadn't even told him who was the one being assigned to the Bronco.

"I'm afraid not, Ono-kun." Minato smiled. "We need you with your assigned target," he said, not budging an inch like the last two times. "The case is settled and it won't change."

Ono narrowed his eyes at the blonde for a moment before smiling and turning back to face the Boss. "It won't be a problem if I finish fast and chase after whoever I want, right?"

Masaru looked amused at the redhead's insistence. "By all means, chase after him once you are done. Cavallone might just be the only one of them all who might give us some trouble," he acquiesced.

Ono grinned widely at these words. "I won't let ya down, Boss!" he quipped and resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at Minato.

Minato's expression didn't change and he just nodded at Ono's words. "Just don't be reckless, Ono-kun. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

Ono's smile turned mocking as he responded in an equally fake voice. "Right back at you, Mina-chan. Do take care not to die by any blade that isn't mine."

Masaru inwardly rolled his eyes and privately wondered if those two would ever stop antagonizing each other. "Save it for later." He sighed slightly, interrupting them before this went any further. "Meeting is adjourned. Rest up, everyone, and see you all tomorrow. Minato?" He stood up and gestured for the other to follow, not wanting to leave those two in the same room for more than was necessary.

Minato stood the moment his name was called and nodded. "Coming, Boss," he said, following a step behind.

Ayumu watched them go, and when the door closed, he looked at Ono, made a gagging face, before disappearing.

Ono huffed in agreement and stood up just as Ayumu faded out of the room. He rolled his eyes in amusement at the Mist user's dramatics, before glancing back down at the file in front of him. He wondered just who had gotten the Bronco's file. He glanced around the room to the remaining members.

"It's not me." Youta spoke up without even glancing at the redhead. He was looking through his own file as he stood up and began walking towards the door.

"Not me either!" Yuki chirped before heading out of the room.

Jiro sat there silently and looked at Ono for a moment before he stood, gave Ono a brief bow, and turned to leave the room as well, leaving the redheaded swordsman alone.

"Ah, well," Ono muttered to himself. An excited smile quirked up on his lips regardless. He was looking forward to tomorrow.

They all were.


	29. Target 28:  A Straightforward Assault

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, guys! The moment you have been waiting for! Vongola vs. Vendetta! 
> 
> We'd like to take this time to tell you guys that if you like our fic, we really really recommend you guys subscribe to the Parallel Universe series. This fic won't be done for a while yet, but when it does end, there will be sequels, there will be side-stories, and there will even be a couple of fics that take place before the start of this one, such as how Dino and Hibari got together. 
> 
> So, don't miss out on the additional content, and make sure to Subscribe!

Tsuna woke up that morning with a strange feeling. The fear that had plagued his heart for the past week was strangely muted. It was still there, raging and ever-present, but somehow… contained. Tsuna was still able to think clearly even though he knew that today was the day they would face the Vendetta Family.

He opened his eyes and sighed slightly. Tsuna had slept over Gokudera's apartment, not having wanted to go home. He stared at Gokudera's sleeping form which was at the edge of the bed, giving Tsuna as much space as he wanted. Tsuna smiled a bit and checked the time before reaching over and placing his hand on Gokudera's. "Hey," he whispered. "Gokudera-kun?"

Gokudera made a soft noise as he shifted in his sleep. The silver-haired teen felt so warm and comfortable. He was unusually at ease. His limbs were heavy and lethargic, and he didn’t want to move, or open his eyes. When was the last time he had slept so well and for so long? He couldn’t remember a time when his dreaded alarm clock wasn’t blaring at his ear, demanding for him to wake up.

But no such noise bothered him today. Instead, there was a familiar voice calling his name, and a comforting weight on his hand, which was slowly managing to rouse him.

Light-green eyes peered open, and Gokudera’s drowsy gaze focused on the figure hovering over him. “Tenth…?” he murmured sleepily.

Tsuna blinked before smiling a bit, his cheeks pinking slightly. "Good morning..." He felt a lot more relaxed now and the fear was beginning to ebb.

Gokudera blinked also, slowly, and began to sit up. He reached up to rub his eyes a little, yawning, and it took a moment for him to jumpstart his brain. As he registered the warm weight on his hand his heart skipped a bit and he pinked slightly, but smiled. He made no move to pull away and instead spread his fingers apart so Tsuna’s own could slip through the gaps. “Morning, Tenth...” Gokudera’s groggy voice greeted the brunette. “Did you sleep well?”

Tsuna nodded slightly and let his fingers slide through the gaps before squeezing. The gesture filled him with strength, and he was able to breathe a little bit easier. He was suddenly glad he had stayed over. He couldn’t imagine waking up alone in his bed today of all days.

"What about you?" Tsuna asked softly in reply before glancing at the time again. Though he had forgotten to call home last night, Tsuna was sure Reborn knew where he was. He wondered if the baby would come to get them any time soon, or if they would have a bit more time to relax. Tsuna definitely wouldn't mind the latter.

Gokudera nodded as well. “I did as well,” he said. He leaned back to rest against the headboard of his bed. His drowsiness was leaving him. In its place, the anticipation he had been feeling all week was beginning to resurface, bubbling up in his stomach as he turned his gaze to look out the window. The day looked clear and promising. It was an encouraging sight that put the silver-haired teen at ease. Moreover, being here with the Tenth at his side, Gokudera felt filled with confidence and determination. The training they had been doing all week would finally pay off today… They could not fail—would not fail. Gokudera squeezed his grip on Tsuna’s fingers and he turned back to look at him with a serious and determined expression. “Today… no matter what happens, I will protect you, Tenth,” he vowed.

Tsuna looked at Gokudera when he spoke and felt all the more reassured. The raging tornado of fear in his chest seemed to calm, just for a bit. He squeezed Gokudera's hand back, thinking about all they'd accomplished, everything they'd done. He thought about Dino-san and how he was suffering. He thought about Hibari-san too—because as much as the prefect claimed that he didn't care, even he had to admit that being held hostage for a week was…  
  
Tsuna looked at Gokudera and nodded with a troubled, but headstrong and determined gaze. There in his fingers was Gokudera’s hand. It was a warm weight that reminded him of his strength, of their strength. They would have to fight, but the fight was for a good cause and Tsuna would make sure to protect everything precious to him.

"We're in this together… Hayato." The name fell on his tongue and it was both different and familiar as if it always meant to be there.

Gokudera’s eyes widened upon hearing his name. Yesterday’s conversation flooded back in his mind, and he glanced down at his lap for a moment as his cheeks colored slightly. But after taking in a small breath, Gokudera glanced back at the brunette with a soft smile. “Yeah,” he said, his eyes gaining a determined look about them as he spoke. “Of course, Tsuna.”

It was strange how easy it was to say the name now when before just thinking about it had been so hard. Gokudera felt something in his chest warm and it emboldened his determination to protect the brunette that was sitting at his side.

 _We’ll win this. We’ll win this and come back safe from it all,_ Gokudera vowed to himself, because he was way past self-sacrifice these days. In its place was a strong devotion to survive, to protect. Gokudera squeezed Tsuna’s hand reassuringly, and after a long, hesitant moment, he brought up his free hand to cradle the other’s cheek, his thumb rubbing over the warm skin there with a tentative, careful touch. Heart fluttering softly, Gokudera’s leaned close to the brunette and placed a promising kiss on the edge of Tsuna’s lips.  
  
Tsuna’s stomach filled with butterflies as Gokudera leaned in. He closed his eyes as he felt his lips and his cheeks immediately went hot. Tsuna glanced down and smiled timidly, clasping his hands in his lap and a small bit of giddiness sparked in his chest. Nothing could possibly go wrong today. They’d get Hibari-san back. They’d defeat the Vendetta. Everything, just for once, was going to go exactly according to plan.

 

* * *

  

Reborn ended up showing up at Gokudera’s apartment, and he accompanied them both back to Tsuna’s home where the rest of the Guardians were waiting. Reborn had a set of six suits waiting for each of them, made by thread from Leon himself. They all got dressed in uniform white button shirts and black slacks, black jackets, and black ties. Tsuna thanked a tired Leon for his hard work before looking at his friends.

Gokudera looked at ease in his suit. Though his jacket was open and his shirt was slightly untucked, his tie was tied into a neat, experienced knot that lay smartly over his pristine shirt. The silver-haired teen wore his suit with a nonchalance than no one else in the room shared (save for Reborn), looking as if he'd been born into it.

Yamamoto was another that looked completely at home in the clothes, but for an entirely different reason. The tie was loose and the first few buttons of his shirt were undone. The jacket was open and his shirt was untucked. Yamamoto managed to make the formal suit looked like casual dress wear. But it was with a heavy expression that he buckled the sheath to his sword onto his back.

Beside him, Ryohei finally finished buttoning up his jacket. The white-haired teen looked pleased, and it was obvious that he liked the clothes he'd been given; he kept running his bandaged hands over the material of his jacket as he tried his best to straighten out any wrinkles. His broad shoulders filled out into the suit snugly.

Chrome walked in, having changed in a different room. Instead of slacks, she wore a black skirt that reached her knees. Her blouse was tucked in neatly and her tie reached to the middle of her stomach. The jacket was buttoned, and overall, she looked very well dressed.

The only one of them all that looked off was Lambo. Though the tiny suit he was wearing fit him perfectly, the five-year-old kid did not exude the same aura Reborn did when wearing a suit. Though Lambo had a wide smirk on his face as he smugly declared he was the best-looking Mafioso on earth, the way he kept fiddling with clothes, especially his tie, made it obvious that he wasn't comfortable at all.

Tsuna watched as his friends made light conversation. He tied up his tie before grabbing his ring from the corner of his desk and slipping it on. He reached into the pocket of the jeans he’d been previously wearing and pulled out his gloves and pill canister. However, something else fell out. The small blue amulet decorated by Kyoko fell onto the floor between his feet. Tsuna blinked and reached down, picking it up. Carrying it around with him had become second nature to him to the point where he never noticed putting it in his pocket.

Tsuna ran his thumb over the small fish in the center of the charm and smiled a bit. He remembered the moment before the Ring Battles when Kyoko had given it to him, how happy he had felt to receive it, and from Kyoko of all people. Even though she had made one for everyone, it had still felt special to hold something that Kyoko had made. It felt weird thinking back on it, though. How his heart had pounded and his face flushed back then. However, it was different now. Tsuna looked at Gokudera as he started up a normal argument with Lambo. He smiled. That’s how he felt about Gokudera now. Tsuna’s gaze returned to the amulet and he turned it over in his hands a couple times. Should he take it? Should he leave it behind?

The words of good fortune were carefully painted onto the charm and Tsuna traced them with his finger. His resolve strengthened and he nodded before slipping the amulet in his jacket pocket. Even if he didn’t feel the same way about Kyoko as he did before, Kyoko had worked hard making this for him. Kyoko was still a very good friend to him. Even if the feelings differed, the intent was the same. Kyoko was wishing him good luck and Tsuna needed all the luck he could get.

Once they were all ready, the group made their way to the shrine. It wasn’t like the last time they got there because the people who gathered around the Tenth’s Guardians were significantly less. This time, only the Arcobaleno, along with Lussuria and Squalo, were there to see them off.

“Voooi! What the hell took you guys so long?” Squalo barked loudly, scowling the minute they all came into view.

Tsuna winced and mumbled a short apology, and Gokudera scowled back at the white-haired swordsman, ready to snap back at him. Before he had a chance to do so, however, Yamamoto beat him to the punch.

“Squalo! You came!” the black-haired teen exclaimed. Yamamoto rushed over to the white-haired swordsman and began talking to him, practically bouncing on his heels as he invited him to the party his old man was planning. Ryohei also rushed off to talk to Lussuria upon spotting him. The rest of Tsuna’s friends began to spread out across the shrine. Only Gokudera stayed by his side. Even Lambo quickly found a way to entertain himself by approaching the Arcobaleno group, where Colonnello quickly distracted him by instigating him to chase after Skull.

The light-hearted sight before him did nothing to put Tsuna at ease however. Now that they were here, Tsuna felt all of his tension return. His eyes scanned the shrine, taking into account each of his friends. He watched as Lambo stumbled into Chrome in his chase, and how as she bent down to pick the five-year-old up, Skull scuttled off to join the rest of the Arcobaleno with a huff. Tsuna’s eyes followed him, and he frowned slightly as he took in the sight of Dino and Romario quietly conversing with Aria and Gamma.

The sight of Dino dressed in the same black Leon-made suit Reborn had ordered everyone to wear made Tsuna’s stomach twist in discomfort. It was a strange feeling. While he had never given people like Gamma or Romario, or even Aria, a second glance despite their adult, business clothes, seeing the same clothes on Dino made Tsuna pause this time. It had always been hard to associate the cheerful, clumsy blonde boss that Tsuna knew with the mafia life, but today it felt all too easy. The serious expression on his face right now, the memory of the blonde fighting with Reborn in that quiet, threatening voice, and the sight of the blonde’s rigid set of his shoulders filling out the suit he was wearing made Tsuna bite his lip anxiously. Dino-san looked so different from what Tsuna was used to. The crimson-red shirt he was wearing underneath his jacket made him stand out, and Tsuna suddenly couldn’t feel more uncomfortable in his own suit. He wasn’t scared of him…

But a scary thought did pop up in his head briefly.

_I wonder… if I will look like that in the future…_

Tsuna swallowed uneasily and forced himself to ignore the thought. He’d already decided he wasn’t going to allow that to happen. Instead of worrying on things like that, Tsuna decided to focus on the present.

“Um… Squalo?” Tsuna decided to ask something that had been nagging him ever since they had arrived at the shrine. “Where’s Xanxus?” He looked a bit apprehensive but worried at the same time. “He’s not hurt, is he?”

At the brunette’s question, the white-haired swordsman scowled deeply, annoyed at the brat’s impertinence. “As if!” Squalo snapped, sneering. He couldn’t help but to feel annoyed at the fact that the Vongola brat had once again managed to beat his boss. Squalo’s posture was tense with hostility as he glared at the brat, but after a moment, his lips turned into a vicious smile. “We had to tie him down, or else he would be here, trying to skin your shitty ass.” His smirk widened rather sharply.

Gokudera snarled at Squalo’s words and posture, and he took a threatening step forward. Dynamites were already slipping out of his sleeves and into his hands.

Tsuna paled slightly at Squalo's words. "O-oh... Well, I'm...glad he's not too hurt…!" he stammered, before backing away from Squalo. Though upon seeing Gokudera with dynamite in his hands, he reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Gokudera-kun," he said softly, not wanting the other to start a fight right now.

Reborn smirked a bit at this exchange, but he wasted no time getting to business. He quickly produced a card from his jacket. "Here, Tsuna," he said, offering it to him. "We’ve prepared the passwords."

“It’s finally time,” Dino murmured softly, mostly to himself, as he saw Tsuna accept the cards. His stomach had been doing flip-flops since he had arrived to the shrine, and now that the last of them had finally arrived, instead of subsiding, the feeling only increased. Dino ignored his unease, and after sharing a small acknowledging look with Romario, Dino plastered a smile on his face and walked over to where Tsuna was standing. “Morning!” he said blithely once he was near, though his eyes didn’t share his cheery disposition. They were much too steady, serious, and determined. “You ready, Tsuna?”

Tsuna glanced at the familiar voice and instantly caught the difference in tone, however small. "Good morning, Dino-san." He smiled regardless, trying to ignore his own discomfort and hoping to be reassuring. He nodded at the question and glanced down at the cards in his hand. “Yeah,” he said. “I think we're ready.” He nodded confidently, and as he headed towards the shrine, he felt his own shoulders square as he was filled with determination.

Everyone tensed as they watched Tsuna approach the offertory box, Gokudera in particular. He half wanted to offer to do the task himself, but just as he was about to open his mouth, Ryohei’s voice called out first.

“Wait a second, Sawada!” Ryohei demanded suddenly, his tone urgent and insistent.

Tsuna stopped at Ryohei's sudden voice that broke the serious silence. He turned to him and blinked, wondering if the Sun guardian had spotted something. "What is it, onii-san?" he asked, somewhat worriedly.

Ryohei thrust a demanding finger forward, pointing in the direction of the brunette. “We can’t go on just like this!” he protested, in a loud, serious voice.

Gokudera’s eyebrows furrowed in confused as he wondered what the hell the boxing idiot was going on about. “What the hell are you going on about, lawnhead?” The silver-haired teen scowled in irritation at the other.

Ryohei pointedly ignored him. “We can’t charge ahead without doing it!” He insisted, nodded to himself very seriously as he crossed his arms over his chest, as if to emphasize his point.

Tsuna blinked in confusion. "Is there... something we missed...?" he tried to ask, but behind him, Yamamoto's eyes suddenly filled with stars.

"That's right! I almost forgot!" He hurried to Ryohei's side, though once he was there he paused and suddenly turned around. "Squalo!" He smiled brightly. "You've got to do it with us!"

"Do what!?" Tsuna flailed in confusion.

“No way!” Squalo snapped automatically to Yamamoto’s request despite not knowing what he wanted. His eyebrows knotted agitatedly and his mouth was set into a confused scowl.

Behind Tsuna, Gokudera’s own scowl began to shift from confusion and into a grimace as it began to dawn on him what those two sport idiots were going on about. He groaned. “Oh, hell no…”

“Everyone, huddle up! Or else we can’t charge ahead!” Ryohei demanded at the top of his voice.

"Oh..." Tsuna sighed in realization, slumping slightly, but a moment later his own lips lifted up into a smile and he turned to Dino. "Um, since you're coming in with us, you should join too," he said.

"Ooh~ Can I huddle up~?" Lussuria skipped over beside Ryohei, who gladly welcomed him.

Dino couldn’t help but to smile slightly at this display. Despite all his tension and anxiety, being here surrounded by Tsuna’s Family filled him with confidence and reassurance. They could do this. They _would_ do this.

“Shall we?” Dino laughed slightly, putting a hand on Tsuna’s shoulder as he led them towards the center, where Ryohei was putting his arm around Lussuria’s shoulders already, an eager grin widening on his lips.

Gokudera grumbled but followed. At least most of the Varia wasn’t here to either see or participate in this. Had that knife-bastard or Xanxus been here, Gokudera might have had to resort to drastic measures.

Yamamoto was still trying to convince his own tutor. "Oh, come on, Squalo!" The black-haired swordsman turned on the puppy eyes automatically.

Squalo grimaced and glared down at the brat with disgust. “Hell no!” he growled, and all but kicked his student away from him and towards the excited boxer.

Yamamoto laughed as he stumbled over to the group. "Okay! Next time, Squalo!" He gave the swordsman a thumbs-up before turning around and putting his arms around Ryohei and Gokudera's shoulders. Tsuna stood between Dino and Gokudera. Chrome hesitated before Tsuna called her and Lambo over. She took the spot between Dino and Lussuria, while Lambo happily escaped her arms and bounced onto Gokudera’s head.  who was immediately attracted  was happy enough to bounce on to Gokudera's head.

"Okay!" Tsuna called as everyone put their arms around each other's shoulders, with the exception of Lussuria who put his arm around Ryohei's waist. "1, 2, 3!"

“ _VONGOLA FIGHT!_ ” a chorus of voices shouted across the clearing, some louder than others, but all with the same flame of enthusiasm (though some pretended otherwise).

Next to Reborn, Colonnello stared proudly of the group of warriors they had trained. They had certainly come a long way. But… despite the fact that he had little doubt in their strength, the unknown factors about the Vendetta Family still concerned him.

“Are you sure about this, Reborn? I still think you should sneak in after them, kora!”

Next to him, Fon shook his head. “The gamble is too much of a risk,” he disagreed. “Have faith in our students. They have learned well.”

Reborn smirked a bit and shook his head at Colonnello. "Tsuna is more than capable of doing this," he said, crossing his arms. "Everything is under control."

Aria smiled, watching the group huddle up as warm feelings of fondness welled up in her chest. She leaned against Gamma, her head on his shoulder as she looked at them with a bright smile. "I think they'll all be just fine." She looked at the rest of the Arcobaleno and smiled confidently. "Not to worry."

As Aria leaned into him, Gamma brought up his arm to wrap around Aria’s waist. Though, at her words, he couldn’t help but to snort slightly. “Had I not seen Cavallone in action, I would have a hard time believing that, watching them now.” Gamma shook his head, amused at the Vongola’s childish display.  
  
Aria smirked a bit. "Tsunayoshi-kun has worked hard, Gamma. They all have." She looked at the group proudly for a moment, before glancing back down at the Arcobaleno again. "Everyone has," she said with a bright smile.  
  
Tsuna let out a small sigh as he straightened back up. He felt that familiar flutter of excitement that always came after their huddles. Tsuna turned to Reborn. The two of them stared at each other for a short moment, but then the Sun Arcobaleno nodded, and Tsuna nodded firmly in return.  
  
The Tenth Boss gave a glance to his right-hand man and flashed him a smile before he walked over to the offertory box, holding out the cards. He dropped them in and looked up towards the shrine. For several seconds, nothing happened, but then, suddenly…

The floor beneath Tsuna disappeared. He let out a shriek as he fell down a trapdoor.

"TENTH!" Gokudera's heart stopped and his eyes widened in horror as he saw Tsuna fall through the floor. His reaction was instinctual—not a second had gone before he was already running over towards where the brunette had fallen. The smoker skidded to his knees in front of the trapdoor, and he looked down into the darkness below him with a racing heart. "TENTH! Are you alright!?" he called down anxiously, heart thudding loudly at his ears. Gokudera was so out of it that he had forgotten that Lambo was still hanging on to him by his hair. And after having moved so fast, the little cow was now dizzy and in danger of falling after Tsuna.

Ryohei's initially startled expression deepened into alarm as he noticed this. "Wait, watch out, octopus head!" He brought up a hand in protest and took a step forward, but he was too late. Lambo was already wiggling and scrambling to regain his balance, which caused Gokudera to hit his head hard against the edge of the trapdoor. A second later, the smoker lost his grip on the ledge and was falling headfirst, with Lambo still clinging on to him. A pair of yelps was all that could be heard as they fell down after Tsuna.

Yamamoto watched as Tsuna, followed by Gokudera and Lambo all disappeared down the trapdoor. He grinned. "Heh. Come on, senpai!" He hurried over to the trapdoor and jumped, turning in midair. He gave Squalo a quick wave before gravity took over and Yamamoto fell down the hole as well.

Chrome was standing a couple steps away from the edge of the trapdoor. She sighed slightly, looking a bit hesitantly at Ryohei.

"That idiot!" Squalo spluttered as he watched Yamamoto head after the others with his usual careless attitude.

Ryohei, on the other hand, was grinning widely at his fellow guardian’s enthusiastic exit. With a reassuring nod to Chrome, he approached the hole and looked down at the dark, seemingly endless tunnel that awaited them. His heart was already racing with excitement. “Yosh!” he exclaimed. “Let’s go, Chrome!” He grinned widely at the girl, and after a moment’s thought, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Hold on tight!” he said, before he too jumped.

Chrome gasped lightly, but she held her trident in one hand tightly and held on to Ryohei with the other.

Dino shook his head slightly and smiled at the enthusiasm of Tsuna’s Guardians. The initial dread that had welled up inside him upon seeing Tsuna fall had already mostly subsided, though he was still very much alert. Despite having experienced this many times, it was still hard to get used to Tsuna’s Family’s antics—the easygoingness that they had when going into battle was just their way. He hoped that never changed.

Dino approached the trapdoor with his whip in hand. “Catch you later, Romario.” Dino nodded at his right-hand man, and gave one last look to where the Arcobaleno group was gathered, before he too dropped down to the Vendetta base.

Reborn watched them all disappear down the hole and he walked over, standing at the edge and looking down. "Well," he muttered as the hole closed slowly, "good luck, Tsuna."

 

* * *

 

Tsuna rubbed his head with a slight groan as he sat up. But the moment he did, something heavy fell on to him and he was pinned down to the ground once more by the weight on his stomach. "AUGH!" he cried out before looking back to see Gokudera on top of him. "Gokudera-kun, can you please get OFF-" He let out another shout as Yamamoto landed on top of Gokudera with a laugh.

Gokudera groaned loudly as he landed rather roughly on the ground. The only part of him that wasn’t protesting to this treatment was his torso which had landed directly across Tsuna’s own. He was already scrambling to get off his boss before the other was even done speaking, but with the stupid cow still wailing loudly at his ear and pulling at his hair, he was having a hard time doing so. “Sorry, Tenth!” he yelped apologetically, but before he could say anything else, something heavy landed on his back and made him collapse straight back onto his boss.

“ _Who the_ —Get the fuck off me, you stupid baseball-idiot!” Gokudera growled upon hearing the idiot’s laugh.

Yamamoto continued to chuckle unashamedly. "Sorry, sorry!" he said, quickly getting off.

Gokudera groaned in both pain and relief as the other got off of him. He got up and sat back on his knees, wincing as he felt his back ache in protest slightly. He finally tore the five-year-old off of his head with a grimace. Thankfully, Lambo had finally stopped screaming—unfortunately, the annoying brat was now guffawing at Tsuna and Gokudera’s pain.

“Gyahahahaha!”

Gokudera narrowed his eyes at the cow, but he didn’t have time to react further because Ryohei and Chrome were making their way down. Chrome saw the pile at the bottom and let go of Ryohei, the trident landing on the floor besides Tsuna's head. Tsuna let out a squeal as Chrome swung around the trident in order to avoid the pile.

Ryohei, on the other hand, was paying no attention to where they were landing as he was too focused on the rush of the fall. “WOOHOO!” The boxer laughed boisterously until he finally landed—right on top of Gokudera’s lap.

“Augh…!!” Gokudera felt the air leave his body once more as he groaned in pain. _At least… the Tenth is… okay…_ he thought in the back of his mind.

“Whoops! Sorry, octopus head!” Ryohei apologized with a wide grin as he got up to his feet. He offered the other a hand up, which Gokudera grudgingly took after a moment.

Once he had regained his breath, Gokudera finally turned to the Tenth. “Are you alright, Tenth?” he asked and held out a hand of his own for the other to take.

Tsuna sighed slightly as one by one they got off of him. He supposed he should have expected this rocky start. "Yes..." He reached out for the offered hand. "Yes, I'm fine," he murmured, and he was about to get up when one more body collapsed on him.

“Ah, crap…” Dino’s voice was muffled against the sleeve of his jacket. Having been cushioned by both it and Tsuna, Dino’s landing ended up being the softest. Still, he was quick to get up and apologize. “Sorry, Tsuna.” The blonde scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “I was looking for a way to land properly, but there wasn’t really much for me to hang on to.” He laughed slightly.

Tsuna did his best to regain his composure as he took Gokudera's hand and stretched his back. "It… it's okay, Dino-san. Really." He was about to offer the other a reassuring smile, but he couldn’t help but to freeze At that moment. The back of his neck prickled uncomfortably as he something inside of him screamed, warning him that there was something else in the room with them. Tsuna looked over to the other side of the large empty room they had landed in, and there, a single unmoving male stood.

Jiro had his legs shoulder-width apart, and his fists held tight to his waist, elbows back and firm against his body. His shoulders were tense and his eyes were clear as he stared stonily at the group. A ring with a deep purple hue glinted on the middle finger of his right hand. He just looked at them and didn't speak. Didn't move. Just stared.

A second after Tsuna froze in place, the others followed his gaze and tensed as well. Gokudera’s hands reached for his dynamites. Ryohei’s fists clenched at his sides. Dino’s hand was tightening its grip on his whip.

“Ararara? Whatsdat? Whosdat? Lambo-san wants to know!” Lambo asked in a loud voice as he picked his nose. Yet, despite his request, the cow didn’t look that interested to hear the response at all, as after a second he was already ignoring the scene in front of him and was instead sticking his hands inside his afro, presumably looking for something.

Tsuna watched, expecting the male to laugh or smile or say something. But he just stared for a moment before suddenly bowing at the waist.

"Jiro," he said as he stood straight back up again. "Nakamura Jiro." He thrust out a fist and took a fighting stance, once again, being completely still and waiting.

"Is he... part of the Vendetta?" Tsuna murmured. "Why would they send him alone?"

Dino frowned and carefully looked around the room ahead of them. “A trap, perhaps? Or maybe they sent him to test us,” he replied in an equally quiet tone. The blonde narrowed his eyes at the figure in front of them. Where was the rest of the Vendetta? Dino wanted answers…

Next to Tsuna, Gokudera ground his teeth in irritation. “Those fuckers are underestimating us again!” he hissed, annoyed with the implication that they thought only one member of the Vendetta Family would be enough against them all. “Let me take care of this guy, Tenth! I’ll have him begging to tell us where Hibari is in a second,” he promised.

Jiro didn't move or flinch. He merely stared, waiting for someone to step forward.

"Wait, Gokudera-kun..." Tsuna grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. "I'm not sure... Something tells me he won't talk so easily." The more he watched Jiro, the more he saw. There was a sense of calm in the center of Jiro's body. His muscles may be tense, and he was alert, but there was no panic or anger in his features.

He was just... waiting.  
  
Yamamoto’s smile was gone now as he watched Jiro just stand there, staring at them. His hand twitched, ready to grab his sword at any moment.

Ryohei crossed his arms over his chest. “So what do we do, Sawada? We can’t just stay here!” Ryohei eyed the figure ahead of them and felt the itch of a challenge urging at him. “I’m with octopus head on this one. Let’s fight him!”

Tsuna bit his lip slightly and opened his mouth to protest when Jiro spoke.

"Too much noise," he said stiffly, before looking straight at Ryohei. He stood straight then and placed his fists at his sides before bowing to him, silently challenging him to battle.

Ryohei’s eyes lit up in excitement at the challenge and he nodded firmly at the other. Uncrossing his arms, the Sun Guardian took a step forward and put a hand on Tsuna’s shoulder. “Just leave him to me, Sawada. Even if he won’t say anything… ” The Sun Guardian’s expression was serious and as he began to head off towards the center of the room, where his opponent was waiting. “…I believe that as men, we can talk through our fists!”

Once in front of him, Ryohei bowed his head slightly and introduced himself. “The name’s Sasagawa Ryohei!” he told the other, wanting to be on equal ground before the fight begun. A second later, his jacket was flying through the air, the white sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, and he was settling into his boxing stance. The ring on his finger automatically lit up, as it always did when Ryohei got excited.

"Nakamura Jiro," the Vendetta member repeated, and straightened out before taking his fighting stance again with a single huff of breath. He was still for a single moment. The two of them stared at each other, as if waiting for the other to make the first move.

The impasse was broken when Jiro suddenly rushed forward. His ring didn't light up, but Jiro was quick, agile. He delivered a few quick test punches towards Ryohei's chest, measuring his strength and speed.

Though the others were surprised at the Vendetta member’s speed, Ryohei was able to see his opponent clearly. His training with Lussuria had definitely paid off. Ryohei quickly dodged the other’s punches with a dance of his feet before throwing out a punch of his own at the other.

Jiro's expression didn't change. He dodged the punch and dropped down, swinging out a leg to kick Ryohei's ankles. He kept going at the test speed, watching, observing, and his poker face never slipped an inch.

Though slightly startled at the other’s move, Ryohei jumped back to avoid the kick. “You’re pretty good!” The boxer grinned at the other’s fighting style, enjoying the challenge. “When this is all over, you should join my boxing club!” Ryohei suggested as he dodged another hit.

Jiro showed no reaction. In fact, he barely even showed that he heard Ryohei's words. He stood back up and decided in an instant to kick it up. He moved faster this time, and sent punches to Ryohei's head, not wanting to give him time to catch up.

Ryohei’s easygoing and friendly expression turned into a more serious and focused one as he realized the other was done playing around. He blocked the incoming fist to his face with a slight grunt and felt impressed at the force of the impact. He dodged the next hit and began to pick up the speed as well. It was hard to attack back when he was so busy trying to avoid the other, but Ryohei wasn’t one to give up so easily.

“EXTREME UPPERCUT!” Ryohei let out an invigorating cry as he rushed forward and thrust hard and fast jab at the other’s chin.

Jiro's expression faltered and the uppercut hit the mark. He flew back before catching himself and landing in a crouch. He ran his hand over his mouth, watching Ryohei thoughtfully as he stood up again.

Tsuna was watching from the sidelines, his body tense and worried. He wondered if they should give Ryohei a hand... But the boxer seemed to be handling it so far...

Jiro let out a small grunt before he rushed forward and released a flurry of punches, aiming for Ryohei's face, chest, arms, and wrists without mercy. Within seconds, his objective switched, and Jiro jumped up and aimed a spinning kick into Ryohei's side. It was clear that the Vendetta member was beginning to get serious.

“Hah…” Ryohei ducked down in order to dodge the other’s initial punches, but this move caused Jiro’s kick to connect with his jaw instead of his side. Ryohei grunted as the impact flung him to the side a couple feet, but landed on his knees and skidded to a stop. “Not bad…!” He grinned slightly and wiped off a bit of blood that had spilling over his lip, the action causing the bandages wrapped around his hands to stain quickly. “But I’m getting tired of dodging…!” he exclaimed as he rushed back towards the other. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance between them, and started throwing fast punches at the other, aiming for his vital spots as he moved around Jiro.

“That’s… Lussuria’s footwork!” Gokudera exclaimed in surprise as he took a step closer to the battle. The Storm Guardian was impressed on how much the boxer had improved, and though he was loathe to admit it—since he had wanted to fight already—the lawnhead was undoubtedly the best choice for this battle.

Dino let out an impressed whistle as well. “It’s almost as good as Lussuria’s… To have managed come this far in one week… That must have been one hell of a training regime.”

Tsuna's eyes widened. He brightened at the sight before him. Maybe... maybe they really did have a chance!

Jiro lifted his fists and hunched his shoulders in a defensive position. The other was too fast... much too fast. Jiro let out a growl, and then, for the first time in the battle, his ring began to glow.  The deep purple of his Cloud Flame burst from the ring before sinking right back in.

Jiro growled again as he began to get bigger. He grew at least another foot taller, and his muscles bulged, ripping the sleeves of his shirt. He whipped out a still-growing arm in a wide arc, catching Ryohei with immense strength and tossing him aside almost effortlessly. Jiro’s transformation had changed him completely, not only physically but also personality-wise. Gone was the quiet, silent boy. Instead of him now stood a growling and glowering beast.

Tsuna shrieked and his eyes widened. "Onii-san!" he cried out, quickly pulling out his gloves and pulling them on.

Ryohei didn’t even have the breath to groan when he was thrown aside with such a force that when he landed against the wall, the concrete shattered around him, leaving a large dent as he fell down to the ground on his hands and knees. “Ugh…” The Sun Guardian heaved and coughed as he tried to regain his breath. His stomach ached like crazy and his back was protesting over the beating it had received from the wall. But it only took him a few moments to get back up to his feet.

“It’s alright, Sawada....” The white-haired boxer addressed the panicking brunette with a huffing breath, though his eyes were firmly fixed on his opponent. “This is a one-on-one battle... You can’t interfere!” he proclaimed, before charging on ahead. Adrenaline rushed through Ryohei’s body as he dashed forward, and his eyes shone with an excited and intense determination. “That was a nice trick, Nakamura, but you still haven’t seen mine yet! _MAXIMUM_ _CANNON!_ ” Ryohei thrust out his left fist, aiming straight on at the other’s stomach.

Tsuna bit his lip slightly, but stopped and though with reluctance, he pulled his gloves off again and continued to watch the battle before him with knitted eyebrows and a worried expression.

Jiro saw the punch coming and his ring suddenly flared up again. He grew and bulged once more, and his hands wrapped around Ryohei's fist. They slid back a couple feet, but... Jiro had caught the Maximum Cannon. He gripped tighter to Ryohei's fist and threw him into a wall before lumbering off after him.

Yamamoto gritted his teeth. "Senpai...!" His hands clenched at his sides as he forced himself to not intervene.

The impact of Jiro’s throw was much harder this time. Ryohei cried out as his already abused body collided against the wall once again. The indentation left by the impact was thrice as big as last time, and the time it took for Ryohei to recover was thrice as long as well. The boxer struggled to get up to his knees.

“Come on, lawnhead! Get up!” Gokudera yelled, his voice a mix of worry and frustration.

Ryohei couldn’t help but to chuckle slightly at that, though it came out as more of a cough. “Just… sit back… and watch me… octopus head…” Ryohei grinned toothily as he slowly got up to his feet. Though he was wobbling a bit, Ryohei’s eyes never lost that spark of determination it always held.

“After all that… training I did…” Ryohei tightened his fist in front of him and his Sun Flame began to glow even brighter that it had been. “There’s no way I’ll allow myself to lose here!” The boxer thrust up his fist and allowed his flame to run wild. But this time the flame didn’t shoot out like a beam, as it had done in Tsuna’s room two days ago. Instead, the flame leaked out from the ring and spread over Ryohei’s body. Slowly, most of Ryohei’s injuries began to fade and his breathing evened out again. Despite all the damage that had been dealt to him, Ryohei looked ready for round two. His face was set into an intense expression as he got back into his fighting stance; but this time, he didn’t charge ahead. He was going to wait for the perfect opening before trying his favorite move again.

Jiro ran towards Ryohei, slower than before, but of course, significantly stronger. With a grunt, he lunged forward and sent a fist towards Ryohei's chest. There was no real emotion in his eyes, just a carnal sort of instinct that hungered for Ryohei to fall to his knees. To be defeated.

Tsuna gasped, and his fists tightened over his gloves. "Onii-san!" he cried out, watching the newly formed bulk of a monster charging in the direction of the boxer. _Please. Please dodge. Please be okay!_

Ryohei was ready for the other. He waited for his opponent to get close enough before quickly dodging to the side. As Jiro’s fist smashed hard against the wall, which finally managed to shatter completely from the one too many hits it had received, Ryohei dashed forward to deliver a Sun-charged punch straight on the other’s open side, his fist striking directly against Jiro’s ribcage. It was the first hit Ryohei had managed to deliver since Jiro’s transformation, and the boxer was surprised at how much damage the other’s thick muscles managed to absorb. This wasn’t going to be easy… He had a feeling the other’s stamina wasn’t going to run out any time soon, and considering the damage the other could do, Ryohei knew he needed to end this quickly. For now, his only advantage was their difference in speed, but with all the damage Ryohei had received, he didn't think he would be able to keep dodging for too long.

Jiro reached out and immediately grabbed the fist at his side, growling at the light punch. He chose another wall and slammed Ryohei into it, once, twice, then down to the floor. He released him and then kicked his side, sending him bouncing off a couple feet, Jiro following in each pace, getting ready to deliver more blows.

Dino winced at the one-sided massacre that was happening in front of them. The tide of the battle had quickly turned once the Vendetta member had transformed and it didn’t seem like it was about to turn over again.

As Ryohei hit the ground once more, Dino could feel Tsuna’s Family tense, looking ready to dash forward to help. Though it pained him to do so, Dino had to put a restraining hand on Tsuna’s shoulder as Ryohei let out another cry of agonized pain. “You can’t,” Dino murmured softly to him. “This is his battle.” Dino’s hand squeezed Tsuna’s shoulder comfortingly, though his other was clenching tightly in frustration at his side.

Tsuna stilled at the hand on his shoulder and bit his lip, not wanting to hold still. He didn't want to stand and watch as Ryohei got beaten more and more. But all Tsuna could do was stand there and watch on the sidelines. This wasn't like the Ring Battles where they weren't allowed to interfere. This was different. And it was tearing Tsuna apart.

Ryohei bit his lip harshly as he strained himself to quickly get up and dodge. His hand was clutching at his side, which was had suffered from that debilitating kick and was hurting more than anything else had throughout this battle. Dodging was proving to be more difficult than ever. Ryohei thought his ribs might have cracked from that last blow but he was doing his best not to think about it. Instead, as his lumbering beast of an opponent charged ahead once more, Ryohei charged up his flames once more. “This is my ultimate extreme attack…!” Ryohei declared as he raised his right fist in front of him, which was glowing all the way down to his elbow. Ryohei didn’t move from his spot until Jiro was close enough, and then, under the blink of an eye, Ryohei disappeared from where he had been.

“ _MAXIMUM… INGRAM!_ ”

As the boxer shouted, a flash of gold seem to come out of nowhere and hit Jiro’s chest, side, and back at full force almost simultaneously. For a second, it looked like Ryohei had multiplied, though in reality they were merely afterimages caused by the incredible speed the boxer had used. 

Jiro had rushed forward having every intention of smashing Sasagawa Ryohei into the floor. But then, he had disappeared. Suddenly he couldn't really think anymore. Punches were coming in at all sides and Jiro swung his arms out, trying to catch him, but it was no use. He was too fast!

“Haaah….!!!!” Ryohei’s punches slammed against the brown-haired fighter hard and fast, and as his attack came to an end, Ryohei’s speed slowed in order for him to deal the final blow. Though he saw Jiro hobbling to hit him, Ryohei knew he had the advantage this time. Everything seemed to come to a stop at that moment. Ryohei could faintly hear his friends’ cries in the background, he could see Jiro’s arm nearing to slam against him, he could feel his racing heartbeat drumming against his battered chest… and then in that final moment, Ryohei’s fist ricocheted forward, thrusting straight on Jiro’s heavily muscled stomach.

Time picked up its pace again. Jiro’s body went flying across the room under the blink of an eye. There was a loud crash as the Vendetta member collided against the wall, falling through it and leaving behind a cloud of smoke and debris.

As the dust cleared, a small and normal-looking Jiro could be seen lying in the rubble, finally unconscious.

Tsuna's eyes widened and brightened at the sight before he jumped up. "Onii-san! You did it!!" he cried.

Yamamoto grinned and ran over. "Senpai!" He laughed, overcome with relief, and began congratulating the other as well.

“Good job, lawnhead!” Gokudera let out a small cheer, his expression one of relief as he too headed over towards the boxer.

Even Chrome was looking relieved, though she stayed where she was.

“Thank goodness…” Dino murmured, grinning widely at the victory. That had been a close fight.

Ryohei grinned back at his friends and flashed them a thumbs-up as they came closer. Though his expression looked half-pained and weary, his sunny disposition shone through and his silver eyes glowed brightly as he felt the rush of his victory flow through him.

“Told you… I’d win…” Ryohei panted slightly, his voice strong despite the stutter. But he couldn’t keep up that strong façade for very long. After a couple of seconds, Ryohei’s side jolted painfully and reminded Ryohei exactly what kind of condition he was in. He let out a grunt of pain as he reached up with a shaky hand to cradle his injured side.

“Shit, you look awful.” Gokudera grimaced in worry and shifted forward to lend the boxer his shoulder. The other looked ready to collapse. “Can’t you do that healing thing you did earlier?”

Ryohei shook his head and breathed heavily before he answered. “S’bad for you. Luss’ said can’t do it so often.” Ryohei’s body tensed as he felt a cough begin to wreck through him. He brought up a fist to cover his mouth and wasn’t shocked to see it covered in blood when he pulled his hand away. The blood quickly seeped into his already-stained bandages until there was more red than white covering his hands.

"Onii-san!" Tsuna moved over to him the moment he saw the blood and gingerly took him by the arm. "Sit down... Rest! You've done enough!" Tsuna bit his lip and felt his heart clench tightly as he saw blood continue dripping from Ryohei’s mouth, the dark droplets falling down and staining the white wrinkles of his shirt.

"Indeed."

Tsuna gasped and turned because he _hadn't_ sensed this person's presence. But there he was, standing tall, with his blonde hair impeccably tied back. Minato smiled brightly. "I see you've improved. At the beginning of this week, Jiro-kun probably wouldn't have needed to use his flames."

“ ** _YOU!_** ” Gokudera immediately snarled upon seeing the blonde.

"Oh, Haya-kun." Minato smiled wide as if meeting again with an old friend. "How are you doing since the last time we met?"

Tsuna looked at the man before looking at Gokudera. "Gokudera-kun…Was this the guy..?" he asked, but really, he didn't need to. This man was clearly the one who had beaten his right-hand man into submission a couple days before. Tsuna felt Yamamoto tense up again at his side, stepping closer at this discovery.  
  
Minato took that moment to sweep his arm across his chest and bow. "I would like to officially welcome you to the Vendetta Family Headquarters. I congratulate you, on behalf of my boss, for making it this far." He straightened up.

Gokudera’s teeth gnashed murderously as he glared daggers at the blonde bastard who had beaten him before—the man he’d sworn he’d pay back in blood a thousand-fold. How he itched to fight him already. His voice, his very presence, was setting Gokudera off, and had it not been for Ryohei, whom was struggling to stand on his own feet now that the enemy was back, Gokudera would have already drawn his weapons and thrown himself into the next battle.

A moment later, he wasn’t the only one whose blood was boiling for battle.

“’the hell are you wasting formalities on this scum for, Mina-chan?” another voice, a very familiar voice to Dino, spoke out next. Ono appeared from behind Minato just as suddenly as the blonde had before and was now standing before them, his arms crossed loosely across his chest and his nose wrinkling in distaste.

“They just keep coming like flies,” Gokudera spat darkly at the sight of the redhead, though his dark glare quickly darted back to the blonde.

Behind him, Dino’s body coiled tightly and his eyes narrowed at the owner of the hauntingly familiar voice. “It’s was you.” Dino’s quiet voice rang out throughout the room, his tone cutting and dark. “You’re the one who called us that day. You’re that _bastardi_ that’s been haunting us this whole time.” Dino growled as he dug his nails into the leather of his whip. He took a step forward, his weapon ready to lash out—the redhead’s mouth stretched into a wide grin at this motion, which further infuriated Dino, but before his temper could get the better of him, someone else stepped in to stop him.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Heads swiveled around to stare at the latest newcomer, whom was standing a few feet away from his fellow teammates. The curly-haired, bored-looking boy that stood before them now was holding onto someone no one was expecting to see there.

“Lemme go! Lemme go!” Lambo cried loudly as he tried his hardest to wriggle out of Youta’s hold.

Chrome gasped and looked around at her feet, wondering when it was that Lambo had been taken. He must have wandered off at some point during Ryohei’s battle…

"Please, give him back!" she pleaded softly.

"Aw, so you're the illusionist, are you?" Ayumu appeared next, leaning over Ono's shoulder. "I must say I'm glad to meet you, Chrome-chan." He smiled brightly, and Chrome’s expression stiffened with determination as she held on tightly to her trident.

"Lambo!" Tsuna's eyes widened and he paled drastically as he stared at the captive five-year-old. He felt stricken, but he bit his lip, and tried to stay strong. Reborn wasn't here to take charge. He had to be the boss. "Please let him go! And Hibari-san too!"

"Augh, so boring!" another voice came, this time from above them. It was Yuki, whom was hanging from the rafters by an ankle. "We have you all day, Vongola Tenth. I think we should definitely have some fun!" She grinned brightly.

Dino’s teeth gnashed in frustration at the position he found himself in. Here was the bastard that had been haunting him all week, the bastard whom Dino was sure was the one who had tortured his Kyouya—and there was nothing he could do for now.

“Oh, **_yes_**. We’ll have some real fun beating your asses to the ground,” Gokudera snapped back, with a deep growl, feeling as frustrated as the Bronco. His anger and anxiety were making him volatile. The sight of the cow struggling to free himself from the Vendetta’s member’s arms only strengthened those feelings.

“Let Lambo go, you cowards!” Ryohei spat among another mouthful of blood. The boxer was beginning to look pale.

“Hmph. That’s an ironic accusation, coming from you, Vongola.” The steady sound of an approaching set of footsteps followed the voice that had spoken out, and after a moment, the boss of the Vendetta Family stepped out into the light.

Minato immediately kicked aside Jiro's unconscious form to make way for Masaru's entrance. He gave a bow to his boss and then stood at his right side, two steps back.

Yuki hopped down and stood nearby Youta with a grin on her face that was brighter than the sun.

Tsuna looked at the new man and immediately felt the respect he commanded. "You..." He swallowed and stood straight. “Are you the Vendetta's boss?”

Masaru smiled with amusement at the Vongola heir’s pitiful attempt to fulfill his role. “Indeed, I am.” The blue-haired boss answered in a pleasant tone as his eyes flickered across the room. He slowly took in the damage that had been done during the battle, as well as the condition the participants had been left in. Though the Vongola’s Sun Guardian looked ready to be done in, Masaru was slightly surprised Jiro had been defeated. Masaru’s expression grew cold, though his sharp smile never wavered. “The name’s Masaru, the Tenth successor of the Vendetta Family. I’m very glad to finally be able to meet you face to face, Sawada Tsunayoshi.”

Though there was a sliver of fear bubbling up in Tsuna’s chest, he clenched his fists at his sides and lifted his chin as he faced on the Vendetta’s boss.

"This... This is my Family, Masaru," Tsuna said, the slight tremor in his voice disappearing as his eyes shone with determination. "And I promise! You'll regret the day you messed with us!"

Tsuna’s words had an inspiring effect on his friends, but they were met with a deafening silence from the Vendetta Family whom had collectively tensed at these words. Not due to fear… No, it was due to hatred.

“The only thing we have ever regretted was not killing you and your Family sooner.” Masaru’s voice was soft, smooth, and threatening when he spoke. “And now, after all these years, after everything we’ve had to endure thanks to you, it is our turn to finally make you regret having ever messed with us! Your reign of supremacy will fall here, Vongola!”

Tsuna's fists clenched tighter, and he glared at Vendetta's boss. This couldn't continue any further.

Ayumu stepped forward right then, and in in a flurry of Mist Flames, a long, segmented staff appeared in his hand. As everyone’s eyes locked onto him, the illusionist smirked. "Right then. Time to pair off," he said. The staff became smothered in Mist Flames, and with a flourish, the room before them began to shift. The Vongola members’ eyes widened as the sight before their eyes disappeared, becoming black for a moment. The next thing they knew, they were no longer standing in the same room. Instead, they were in the middle of what looked like a maze of hallways and doors.

But one of them managed to remain unaffected. Chrome screwed her eyes shut and called upon her own Mist Flames, shielding herself from Ayumu's assault. His illusions were strong, but she could just see right through the seams. _Ah, there!_ Chrome opened her eyes to see the Vendetta member holding Lambo heading off somewhere and Chrome, with a gulp of determination, rushed to follow.

“Tsk, you’re slipping, Ayumu,” Ono teased his fellow member upon noticing their straggler.

“Oh, great.” Youta looked back at his senpai’s words and sighed upon noticing the girl who was now chasing after him. Youta’s nose wrinkled in annoyance. He had been hoping to avoid all these fights since his opponent had ended up being the five-year-old boy struggling in his arms. But it looked like he really had no luck when it came to these things. With an annoyed glare in the direction of the Vongola Mist user, Youta took off in a sprint and shifted his hand to muffle the loud wails of his prisoner.

"Tch..." Ayumu scowled slightly at the strain his Mist Flames met colliding with hers. "She's a strong one. Good luck, Yuki-chan."

Yuki grinned. "Will do!" she said in a chipper tone before hopping up back into the rafters to follow Youta unseen.


	30. Target 29: An Unlikely Pair

Chrome followed after the Vendetta members, doing her best to focus under the strain of the Mist Flames bearing down on her. But the moment she had left its influence, she was able to easily hurry forward, and quickly slammed her trident down on the floor. At that moment, a wall burst up in front of Youta, blocking his path. "Please stop! Let him go!" she called out. 

“Tch!” Youta stopped still right before the wall and glared at it for a moment, as if that would make it disappear. Sadly, it didn’t, so Youta had no choice but to turn around and frown at the meddlesome girl that stood before him. 

“Can’t you just give it up already?” The curly-haired boy looked disgruntled to be stuck in this situation. “You’re in no position to be threatening me anyway,” he pointed out to her as he tightened his hold on his struggling prisoner. 

“Mmph! Mmmf!” Lambo cried out as best as he could in response. The five-year-old was a mess of tears, snot, and panic, but the Vendetta member wasn’t affected by this at all. 

Chrome looked at Lambo and bit her lip slightly before shaking her head. "I'm sorry. But I'll have to ask you one more time to let him go," she said.

Suddenly, Yuki dropped from the ceiling a few feet away from Youta and interrupted their conversation. "Sorry, honey," she said, grinning. "You were supposed to come with me." She gave the other girl a quick wave. 

Chrome looked at her for a moment before returning her gaze to Youta. "Please let go of Lambo-chan!" 

"HEY!" Yuki huffed when she was ignored. 

Youta looked put-off at the Mist user’s insistence. He was at least glad Kobayashi had finally shown up to get her prey. “Look, you have other problems to deal with. If you actually manage to beat Kobakashi here, you can go find me again. I won’t be doing much with this one.” Youta raised his arms slightly to emphasize his words. 

"HEY!" Yuki turned to glare at Youta. "It’s KobaYAshi!" she growled slightly before taking out her kunai."Alright. I'm getting seriously pissed off here." The two kunai between her fingers suddenly blazed with Lightning Flames. 

Chrome's lips tightened and she held on tighter to her trident. She had to help Lambo _and_ fight? 

... Perhaps, maybe... 

Chrome twirled her trident and suddenly the illusion of a monster with large cartoonish fangs appeared before them. 

"The hell...!?" Yuki's eyebrows rose. 

Youta’s own eyebrows rose in bemusement. Was that supposed to scare them? 

But at that moment, the appearance of the monster had the exact reaction Chrome had been aiming for. Lambo’s struggles immediately stopped, his eyes bulged open to an almost unhealthy proportion, and a moment later… 

“MMMMPH!! MMMPH!!!” 

Lambo’s desperate attempts to escape tripled in that second, and Youta yelped in surprise and let the kid go as he felt the sharp teeth of the five-year-old pierce deep into his skin. 

Lambo fell down to the floor in a painful thud, but the five-year-old was much too scared of the monster to register the pain. Lambo ran as fast as his feet could carry him, but in his overwhelming panic, he didn’t notice the wall obstructing his path and he collided against it. This time, the pain registered all too well. 

“W-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!” Lambo’s cries were loud and piercing and were accompanied by the crackling sound of his Lightening Flames which had lit up due to his distress. The boy was so inconsolable that he didn’t even remember to mutter his usual mantra. Instead, the young boy was already reaching into his afro and pulling out his favorite hiding place—the Ten Year Bazooka.

Youta’s eyes widened at the sight of the weapon and he reached out a hand to stop him a moment too late. “God dammit.” Youta dragged a weary hand across his face as he saw the kid disappear amongst a cloud of pink smoke. 

“Yare, yare…” Adult Lambo’s voice called out from among the smoke and it was followed by a slight weary sigh. “Not this again…” The fifteen-year-old groaned, his lips twisting into a petulant frown. As the smoke dispersed, it revealed the now-older Lambo, who for once didn’t look like he had been in the middle of eating. Instead, there was an official-looking paper in his hand, which he was already hastily stashing away as he began to take in the scene. The sight of Chrome’s monster ended up startling him into taking a step back, and his expression turned wide-eyed as he pointed at the thing. “What the hell is that?!” he burst out, unable to help himself.                                                

Chrome waved her trident and the monster disappeared. She was happy that her idea had actually worked and that Lambo could now defend himself. "It's the Vendetta," was all she had time to say before Yuki jumped into action. The ninja’s Lightning-charged kunai flew towards Chrome, but she just had to spin her trident to deflect the small blades. 

“Well, this is just great,” Youta muttered crossly under his breath as he stared at the now-older version of the cow brat with a petulant expression of his own. “I knew I should have just killed you when I first captured you. Now I’ll be forced to actually fight you.” The Sun user sighed and for a moment it looked like he was actually considering just waiting for the bazooka’s effect to wear off. But after a moment’s consideration, Youta’s lazy stance shifted and before them now stood a proud member of the Vendetta, looking ready to do in his kill. 

“Hey, ‘bakashi! If I win my fight first, you’re cleaning up this bloodbath!” the curly-haired boy demanded before slipping a hand into the pocket of his hoodie and bursting into action. 

“Holy crap!” The fifteen-year-old Lightning user scrambled to get out of the way of his would-be killer, and not a moment too soon. In the previous spot that he had been standing on, eight sharp-looking needles were now firmly stuck into the concrete. Lambo’s face paled at the sight of them but he didn’t have the time to freeze and panic because another round of the sharp projectiles was heading his way again. 

Chrome jumped back and Yuki jumped forward. Despite the Vendetta's range potential, the green-haired girl made sure to keep in Chrome's face. Blades hit Chrome’s trident as she blocked each and every one. 

Yuki giggled with delight.  

"Oh man!" She grinned as she flipped a kunai in her hand, catching it in a backwards hold before swiping down at the illusionist. "You're pretty good!" 

Chrome let out a small grunt as she lifted her trident to block the small blade before Yuki rushed another to her stomach. With a twist, she dodged it and smacked the butt of the trident into Yuki's back. The ninja lurched forward, and suddenly, she was at the edge of a lava pit. "Whew! Heads up, Youta!" Yuki shouted before pulling a small breathing mask out from her pocket. She put it on and then threw a small pellet at her feet. A large cloud of smoke billowed out of it and the illusion faded. 

Chrome placed her hand over her mouth, coughing roughly. Her vision blurred. It was tear gas.  

“Ah, wait! Crap— _wait!_ ” Youta halted his next attack and hastily scrambled to reach for his own gas mask. He was glad now that he had still kept it, though Kobayashi had long since mastered her dramatic exits and no longer confused her smoke pellets from her gas ones. “A little more warning next time, ‘bakashi!” Youta groused, his voiced sounding somewhat muffled through the mask. 

Though grateful for the respite, Lambo had little time to relax once the smoke began to spread out throughout the room. He brought up the crook of his arm to his face to block out some of the smoke, but his eyes still watered painfully. 

“Chrome-san!” Lambo’s worried voice came out muffled through the cloth. “Are you alrig—GYAH!” 

“You don’t have the time to be worrying about others. Are you gonna keep dodging or are you gonna die already?” Youta’s voice (as well as his senbon) brought Lambo’s attention back to the battle at hand. 

Lambo grimaced and moved to dodge again. How the heck was he going to fight this guy with all this gas and those needles getting in his way?! 

Chrome lifted her jacket over her nose and mouth, squinting through gas. Though the smoke was already dissipating, the stinging sensation stayed. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she only just saw Yuki come into her range of vision. Chrome gasped in shock and hurriedly lifted her trident to block the incoming attack but her blurry vision had misjudged the distance. Her sleeve was slashed open and she received a gash on her arm. 

"Aw, what's wrong?" Chrome couldn't see Yuki's face through the mask, but she could hear the smile in her voice. "Is the little princess crying?" 

Despite Youta’s words, Lambo couldn’t help but to keep glancing back at Chrome. Maybe it was because he just wasn’t used to seeing her like this, but his stomach was twisting at the sight of this younger, much more fragile-looking version of the Mist Guardian. Seeing the blood trickling out of her wound made him feel angry and overprotective, and despite Youta’s continuous barrage at his back, Lambo knew he had to do something to help Chrome. 

 _If only I could use Gyuudon!_ Lambo thought with frustration, as usual, feeling limited in what he could do when he was brought back to fight in the past. His hand twitched towards the pocket his Animal Box was stored in, but Lambo could already hear the lecture back home ringing in his ears, so instead, he reached down for his horns. “It’s usually against my policy to fight women,” Lambo said as he placed the horns on each side of his head and charged them up with the flame of his ring, “but I can’t let you hurt Chrome-san! Elettrico Cornata!” Lambo charged towards the ninja. 

"Whoa!" Yuki cried out and her eyes widened. She jumped back, but a few Lightning Flames managed to singe her clothing. "HEY, YOUTA. KEEP A LID ON YOUR KID!" she shouted, taking out two kunai and charging them with Lightning Flames. With two swift movements, the blades flew at Lambo. 

Lambo tried hard to scramble out of the way of Yuki’s blades, but his previous attack had made his reaction time slow and he didn’t have the time to dodge. As the blades hit the fifteen-year-old’s skin, waves of electricity sparked across his body. Had it not been for his Elettrico Cuoio, Lambo would have been toasted. Instead, Lambo merely hissed at the sharp cuts that had been left by the blades. 

Meanwhile, Chrome finally regained her breath and hurried back into the fray. She couldn't sit back and let Lambo do everything, after all. She reached up and pulled off her eye patch. Slowly, she opened it and there it was, among the pure red, the number three. The Realm of the Beast. Suddenly the mask on Youta’s face became a giant spider.

 _Holyshit._ Youta’s heart did a small little jump at the transformation and he stumbled back a few steps as he scrambled to slap the thing off his face—that’s when he remembered he had nothing to panic about. This was just an illusion.  

Now that it was off his face and by his feet, Youta huffed in annoyance and then proceeded to do what he always did when Fujita-senpai was in the mood to be a nuisance: he kicked the illusion, and Youta was stunned to see that instead of disappearing, the spider hissed and moved to retaliate. 

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” Youta groaned as he jumped back and shot a few of his now Sun-charged senbon at the insect. 

The spider hissed as the needles pierced its exoskeleton. It began to surge forward but abruptly stopped. The body of the arachnid bulged before exploding with the pressure of the Sun Flames. 

Chrome frowned at her spider’s demise. She twirled her trident around and, again, slammed it into the floor. The floor underneath Youta's feet began to splinter and split apart. 

Youta was beginning to get frustrated at the Mist user’s interference with what was supposed to have been an easy battle for the Vendetta Sun user. Jumping back to avoid the crumbling floor, Youta narrowed his eyes at the girl and was about to flick his hand in her direction, his Sun-charged senbon at-the-ready, when Kobayashi beat him to the point. 

"Oh no, you don't!" Yuki switched her attention off of Lambo and rushed towards Chrome, slamming her elbow into the back of the girl’s neck. 

Chrome gasped in pain and fell forward on to the floor. The illusion disappeared.

“About time…” Youta grumbled peevishly as he landed back on his feet. He turned his attention back to his assigned prey then and saw him rushing towards the girls with his flames alit. Youta quickly reacted and threw his senbon in that direction, but Lambo appeared to have expected the attack because he managed to not only dodge in time, but to do so with Chrome cradled safely in his arms. Youta’s senbon ended up piercing into the ground like butter, almost grazing his teammate’s skin instead. 

“Are you alright, Chrome-san?” Lambo panted once he was several feet away their opponents. He felt slightly exerted from all the action. 

Chrome looked up at Lambo and a light blush crossed her cheeks. Whether it was because of embarrassment or something else was unknown. "Yes. Thank you, Lambo-chan," she murmured, waiting to be put down as she held her trident tightly. 

Yuki huffed and tilted her head, cracking her neck a couple times. "Well. It seems like I'll have to kick it up a notch," she said, twirling the kunai in her hands. 

“Tell me about it.” Youta scowled as he readied a new round of projectiles. 

Adult Lambo shifted his grip and ignored the slight embarrassed flush that crawled up his face as he allowed Chrome to stand back on her own feet. The Lightning user didn’t have the time to dwell on his embarrassment though, because his mind was already racing over new worries and thoughts. 

 _How long has it been?_ With all the commotion, Lambo had lost track of the count. The fifteen-year-old was beginning to worry he wouldn’t be able to win this battle on time. _Will my younger self and Chrome-san be alright?_ Lambo wondered as his stomach tightened in unease. He had little memory of the Vendetta Family from his youth and the name had become taboo as he had grown up. How had this battle turned out? What should he do? 

The enemy seemed too strong… but he couldn’t leave Chrome-san to fight them alone! 

Lambo bit his lip as he stepped forward and moved to stand in front of one of the people he had grown to cherish throughout his childhood. “Chrome-san…” Lambo broke out of his silence, his voice slightly nervous though clearly determined. “Don’t worry about these guys. I’ll protect you from their attacks so you can focus on your illusions.” Lambo tilted his head back, looking a bit more confident as he gave the girl a brief wink, before turning his attention back to the battle, the flame of his ring bursting brightly at his words. 

At the wink, Chrome blinked and her cheeks reddened further. "A-ah, yes. Be careful, Lambo-chan!" she said before she straightened, holding her trident at the ready. 

"I don't get it..." Yuki grimaced. “It's already been five minutes.” The green-haired girl pulled off her mask and tossed it aside before crouching down. With a grunt, she sprang up into the rafters and landed quite gracefully. 

"You can't reach me up here, Cow!" She stuck out her tongue and charged up her kunai with Lightning Flames, taking her aim at Chrome. 

The illusionist gasped and slammed her trident down on the floor. The entire room shook like an earthquake and Yuki let out a yelp, flailing her arms. 

Youta tried to maintain his balance, but it was no use. The ground was shaking too much. Youta fell to the floor and scrambled to put his back against a wall to at least gain some stability. “I hate Mist users,” Youta growled lowly as he tried to find his focus and remember this was just an illusion—that this wasn’t actually happening. As the ground stopped shaking underneath him, Youta threw a glare in the direction of his teammate. “This is all your fault, ‘bakashi! You should have stopped this stupid girl before she came chasing after me!” 

"And you should have been able to hold on to a five-year-old kid!" the ninja shrieked back, bristling at the nickname as she hung off the ceiling. After several moments of thoughts, she added on one more word. "STUPID!" 

Chrome looked at them and her right eye glinted red. The rafter that Yuki was holding on to became a large boa constrictor. The ninja shrieked and let go, the snake falling down with her. 

“Oh, for god’s sake. Can’t you do anything right?” Youta flicked his wrists and allowed half a dozen senbon to pierce through the snake’s skin, his Sun Flames pouring into the animal’s body until the snake finally exploded. 

The other half dozen headed straight towards Chrome—or more accurately, towards the Lightning Guardian that stood in front of her. 

 _Holy crap, I can’t let those touch me!_ Lambo panicked, and had to stop himself from dodging. He had to protect Chrome-san! Lambo shifted his hand towards his Box Animal and then gritted his teeth. He needed his shield. He was useless like this! 

That’s when he remembered exactly who was with him. 

“Chrome-san, I need a shield!” 

Before the words finished leaving Lambo's mouth, Chrome was already in action. Her right eye opened wide and the number shifted to one. The Realm of Hell. With a spin and flourish of her trident, Lambo was suddenly holding a large green and silver medieval shield with his right arm. And it was very real. Real Illusions. This was what Mammon had taught her in the past week. 

As Lambo blocked the Sun user’s attack, Yuki's eyes widened. "HEY! That's supposed to be an illusion! Why didn't your needles go through, Zaki?" She looked at Youta.

Already used to Yuki’s idiotic attempts to get on his nerves, Youta ignored his fellow member’s current name for him and focused on the issue at hand. “How the heck am I supposed to know? She’s _your_ opponent—didn’t you read through your report?” Youta snapped back as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

"Of course I did!" Yuki quickly stood up and growled, taking out two more kunai. "Alright. Fine. Let's see how sturdy that shield really is!" The ring on her finger burst with Lightning Flames and in turn, the kunai were smothered with them. The flames jumped up Yuki's arms, sparking to the floor as well as her eyes glowed with anticipation. "Hey, Miya. Mind if we switch?" Yuki smirked, her eyes locked on to Lambo. 

“How about we just focus our attacks on this stupid brat? Not much we can do against the girl while he’s in the way,” Youta suggested, and didn’t wait for an answer. Youta’s needles went flying, aiming for the spots the shield wasn’t covering in hopes that at least one of them would hit. 

Lambo paled at the Vendetta members’ banter, but he didn’t have the time to dwell on his impending doom as a sea of projectiles began aiming for him. “Two against one isn’t fair!” Lambo yelped as he scrambled to protect himself with the shield. Though Youta’s senbon were useless against it, Lambo knew the girl’s weapons would be able to pierce through with her flames if he didn’t do something soon. Lambo felt weird holding on to the lifeless shield Chrome-san had made for him. He was so used to Gyuudon’s presence protecting him at times like this. But this would have to make due. “God, I hope this works…” Lambo muttered as he closed his eyes and focused the flames of his ring to spread out to the shield. “Corna Fulmine!” 

As the shield in his hand was enveloped in green Lightning Flames, the sparks began to dance across metal and moved to jump across the room as if hunting for their prey. 

Youta’s eyes widened at the attack and did his best to dodge it, but his left leg was unable to escape the flames’ reach, which had pierced right through the muscle inches above where his boot ended. The Sun user hissed loudly at the agonizing pain that shot through him. 

Yuki grimaced as the Lightning Flames shot towards her. She lifted her own flames, manipulating them in front of her and absorbing the attack... but it still hurt. This kid was strong. She glanced towards Youta and twirled the kunai on her fingers. "Just back off, Yaki. I'll handle this. You'll just get in the way." She turned to Lambo before stopping. 

Yuki thought for a moment before her eyes brightened. "YAKISOBA!" she shouted before pointing to Youta. "I'm calling you Yakisoba." 

Youta groaned. _Of all the stupid—!_ “Oh, give it a rest already, ‘bakashi!” 

Youta bit his lip as a pool of blood began to flow out of the wound on his leg, seeping through the cloth of his pants. He could barely stand up like this. With a pained grimace, Youta covered the wound with his right hand and began to pour Sun Flames into it, patching up the damage as much as he could risk.

Lambo sweated at this sight. Just when he had thought he had gotten rid of one of them! The fifteen-year-old prepared his shield to take on another beating. As much as he wanted to retaliate… “Could you do something about this? I’m running out of steam here,” Lambo pleaded to the Mist Guardian. 

Chrome bit her lip, thinking. Lambo wouldn't last much longer. "I'll do my best. Please hold on," she said, holding the trident out in front of her and closing her eyes, concentrating. Her eyebrows knitted together and she reached out because Lambo was going to be changing back soon. 

 _... Mukuro-sama!_  

Yuki threw two lightning charged kunai and then barreled forward, using the projectiles as a distraction. She pulled out another blade and it immediately sparked with Lightning Flames. She stabbed it downwards into Lambo’s arm. 

“Ngggh!!” Lambo cried out as the blade pierced through his skin, once again feeling his enemy’s piercing flames dancing across his body. Though the sparks only left a tickling sensation tingling across his body, it was his wounds that were making it unbearable for him to continue defending. His arms bled freely as he swung his shield outwards towards the ninja in an attempt to push the girl back. As Yuki’s piercing kunai met the metal of his charged shield, Lambo’s heart panged with dread. In a battle of Lightning versus Lightning, it was sheer will that decided the outcome and Lambo was already beginning to run dry. 

“Chrome-san…!” Lambo’s voice croaked slightly with strain. “You have to run…! I can’t—!” Lambo’s voiced stopped still as his eyes caught the movement of Youta’s Sun-charged needle fly past him… and hit straight through Chrome’s stomach.

“ _NO—!”_ Lambo lost his grip on his shield, and he was turning, racing, heedless of the danger behind him—when a pink cloud of smoke engulfed him. A moment later, the five-year-old version of Lambo was back. 

Yuki smirked. It was all over now. 

Chrome gasped at this but she couldn't stop. She hurried back to her concentration, trying to get it done before the pink smoke fully dissipated. _Mukuro-sama! Please! I need your help!_ she called as she opened her eyes again, the number one glowing in the red. Her Vongola ring began to glow with Mist Flames as she called and created one of her most complicated illusions…

Steam began to billow out of Chrome’s bleeding body. The wound she had received, the wound that should have killed her had she had any real organs in her body, began to close up as if it was never there in the first place. The same happened with the cut she had gained on her arm earlier. 

“Kufufufu….” 

Slowly, Chrome’s body began to thicken out with muscles in all places but her chest, which had shrunken down instead as her physique transformed into that of a young man. Her clothes, too, underwent a change. Gone was the uniform she had received from Reborn; instead, it was replaced by the male uniform of Kokuyo High. Finally, the smoke thinned out to reveal the confident form of Rokudo Mukuro, standing tall and looking ready for battle. 

 _I’m here now, so rest for a little while now, my cute little Chrome…_  

“It’s been some time since I’ve had to come out to battle,” Mukuro remarked in an amused tone as he surveyed his battleground. “It’s a shame that my opponents aren’t a little bit more of a challenge, but I don’t mind the workout.” Mukuro smirked tauntingly. 

“You have got to be kidding me…” Youta hissed in irritation at this turn of events. As if this battle wasn’t already lasting longer than it should have. He had the worst luck. 

Yuki grimaced slightly. She had been warned about this. This Mukuro guy was much stronger than Chrome. If she had been alone, she would have defeated Chrome long before this would have happened. "Dammit," she growled, charging up her kunai again. "This is your fault, Yakisoba. Stay out of it!" She took out two normal smoke bombs and tossed them. The room was filled with smoke almost immediately. 

Yuki rushed up silently though the smoke and brandished her kunai, ready to strike Mukuro. 

Except… Mukuro wasn’t there anymore. The green-haired girl’s kunai met nothing but a wispy version of the illusionist that began to vanish into the existing smoke the moment the blade touched its mark. 

Mukuro’s chuckle reverberated throughout the room. “Give it up, girl. There’s no way someone like you will be able to win against me.”

Yuki's eyes widened and she gritted her teeth. She looked around, narrowing her eyes through the smoke. This was bad. She was told in her file to not let Mukuro come out. To defeat Chrome before that happened. But she wasn't told why. "Why don't you come out and stop hiding, and then we'll see!" she shouted before jumping up to see if she could get a better view.

“How foolish.” Mukuro’s chuckle echoed across the room once more. 

Suddenly, the rafter Yuki was standing on disappeared. As the green-haired ninja began to fall through the air, the smoke around her began to shift, move, and then wrap around her limbs in a vicious grip. The smoke took the many shapes of slithering snakes which coiled around Yuki’s arms, legs, even her neck as the ninja was held in midair. 

Yuki's eyes widened as her feet were suddenly standing on nothing. She was falling and then, suddenly, they were everywhere. It was hard to turn her head but she could see the smoke coiling around her limbs and feel it tightening around her neck. She cried out, struggling. "L-LET GO!" she shouted, writhing because the tightness of the snakes around her didn't let her thrash. 

“Tch,” Youta was getting fed up with all of this. He deliberated lending a hand towards his teammate… but as Kobayashi had said, he really should stay out of this now that his prey wasn’t getting in the way. In fact… Youta’s eyes slid towards the five-year-old currently drooling onto the ground. The young Bovino was helpless now, and as the Mist user still toying with the green-haired ninja... Youta had the perfect target. 

Youta charged up his flames and readied his senbon, but just before he could throw them… a tight, leathery grip settled over his wrists and held on tightly, pulling his arms back and _twisting_. 

“Nnggyaah!” 

It looked like Mukuro hadn’t forgotten about him. 

“Oya, oya… I’m afraid I can’t allow you to hurt this little one. After all, he did his best to protect my cute little Chrome.” Mukuro laughed quietly into Youta’s ear, his breath a tickling murmur. 

Youta trashed against the hold to no avail. 

“ _Bastard!_ ” Youta swore as he felt the other’s grip continue to twist. His arms shook with the strain and he could feel his bones shifting. The Sun user broke out in a cold sweat. 

Mukuro smirked at the Vendetta members' discomfort. “This really has been too pathetically easy. It’s hard to imagine that you people were able to capture that guy…” 

Yuki shouted and tried to pull her arms free as the snakes slithered up her arms, hissing the whole way. She knew they were illusions. She knew that it wasn't possible for smoke snakes to exist... But they felt real and she could feel their weight and gripping coils. One hissed in her ear and she couldn't help it. She shrieked, renewing her efforts to escape. Her ring burst into flames as she tried to fend off the illusion. 

Mukuro’s eyes slid over to the screeching girl and recognized the fear in her voice; the weakness that coursed through her body. “Kufufufu…” Mukuro’s right eye glowed red as he activated the third state. The snakes surrounding Yuki’s body began to transform into real ones, one by one. They continued to slide over Yuki’s body, their holds tightening, their tongues peeking out to taste the flesh underneath them. As if annoyed by the shrieking noises coming out of Yuki’s mouth, one of them slid over her parted lips and muffled her screams. 

Yuki screamed as the snakes became real, slithering all over her body. She wiggled and thrashed, the shouts and shrieks becoming cries before they were muffled by the belly of one of the snakes. Yuki’s face went pale, as did the rest of her. Her eyes rolled back and her body went limp, fainting in the hold of the snakes.

“KOBAYASHI!”Youta trashed wildly against Mukuro’s hold as he watched the scene before him. As much as he fought with the girl, as much as he preferred not getting involved in his teammate’s affairs… the sight of her like this didn’t sit right with him. Youta growled and thrashed, and did his best to loosen the other’s hold on him, but if anything, it was getting stronger.

“Let me go, you bastard!” 

“And what do you plan to do then?” Mukuro chuckled and ignored the demand. “Do you honestly think you can beat me like this?” The Mist user’s smirk widened wickedly as he felt the bones snapping underneath his grip.

Youta let out a loud, painful cry. 

Mukuro allowed the curly-haired boy to fall on the ground. The next second, his trident was back in his hand and he was pointing it towards the fallen figure. 

“What a pathetic sight. And you thought your Family would actually be capable of beating the Vongola?” Mukuro chuckled at the outraged glare his words provoked.

“The Vendetta… will… prevail…” Youta panted through gritted teeth. He was trying hard to ignore the pain, but it seemed next to impossible.

“Heh, we shall see.” Mukuro smiled indulgently, looking down at the boy with much amusement. He twirled his trident then before smacking the figure at his feet right across his face, the sharp metal meeting against boy’s temple, finally knocking him unconscious.


	31. Target 30: A Bloody Typhoon

Yamamoto looked around as their surroundings suddenly changed. He frowned with worry, staring at the long dark hallway with doors lining the walls. But then he took a breath because he knew that Tsuna and the others would be alright. All of them were strong and they'd save Hibari and Lambo.   
  
“Huh? How did we get here? Where did everyone go?!” Ryohei looked around in confusion, wincing slightly at the pain his movements caused him. But at the moment he was more preoccupied with what had happened. One moment he had been in that room… and in less than a blink he was now somewhere else. He didn’t get it.

Yamamoto turned around as he realized he wasn't alone and grinned brightly. “Senpai!” He moved over to him and put the boxer's arm around his shoulders, supporting him. “Come on, senpai. Let's hope the others got paired off too,” he said cheerily as they made their way down the hall. 

Ryohei leaned on Yamamoto quite heavily as they walked. His ribs ached, and breathing was difficult. It was hard to ignore his body protesting for rest, however, when there was so much he didn’t understand. 

“What’s going on?” he asked again. “Where did Sawada and the others go? Did the bad guys get them?” 

Yamamoto did his best to support his Senpai. Even though he was strong, pulling along an injured person was never easy. However, he never let the smile fade from his lips. “I don't really know. But we'll find them soon.” He readjusted Ryohei's arm around his shoulder and gripped his belt for further support. “And besides. We've all been training hard so I'm sure everyone can hold their own.” 

“Haha… Damn right! Sawada won’t… he won’t lose to anyone…!” Ryohei said with a broad grin on his face even as it became more and more difficult to speak. The boxer felt his injuries throb with every step they took, and his grin slowly faded as a more serious expression took its place. “But… still… We gotta be careful… Those guys are strong. Don’t let your guard down, Yamamoto…” 

Yamamoto's eyebrows furrowed as Ryohei's smile disappeared. He knew that the situation was serious. More than serious. It was dangerous. He swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, I won't, Senpai. Don't worry. You can depend on me.” Yamamoto flashed a reassuring smile as they continued their trek down the lengthy hallway.

They tried every door they passed, but they were all either locked, led to a broom closet, or opened up to a bare wall. It was disheartening. And the more they continued to search, the more tired Ryohei seemed to be getting. The boxer was stumbling over his feet now and looked to be on the verge of losing consciousness. Yamamoto sighed slightly. Thankfully, it wasn’t much longer until they finally reached a door that opened up to a large room with huge amounts of space. Yamamoto peered in and adjusted his grip on Ryohei as he took a couple steps in. 

“Well, you certainly took your time, Mr. Shigure Soen. I was afraid you’d gotten lost.” Ono’s voice carried down into the room, and a quick look up revealed the Vendetta member, whom was lying across the ledge of the second floor. The redhead sat up and looked down to his assigned prey. His eyebrows rose at the sight of the battered Sun Guardian whom was certainly not supposed to be there. 

“Tch, Ayumu’s really slipping up today,” he muttered, and his eyebrows furrowed for a moment before his eyes widened in realization. “Oh, that sneaky bastard! He must be the one fighting that guy if he’s this distracted.” Ono grinned widely, glad he had finally figured it out. 

The redhead jumped down the ledge he was on then and landed a few feet away from the Vongola Guardians. Ono’s hands immediately moved towards his weapons, his right reaching towards the hilt peeking over his shoulder, and his left reaching over his waist towards the sword resting against his hip. 

“Well, I’m actually in a bit of a schedule, yeah? So let’s finish this up quick so I can get going.” Ono’s lips spread into a confident smirk as his ring flared up. He twirled the swords at his sides in an outlandish fashion as his Storm Flames began to spread across the metal of his blades until they were completely covered. 

Yamamoto watched the redhead speak with a mild curiosity. He had seen him and his swords earlier when they had all been together, and Yamamoto had secretly hoped he would get to fight him. So he was glad that he'd gotten his wish. As Ono pulled out his swords, Yamamoto smiled. “Sure! Just let me put him down and I'll fight you,” he said brightly before moving to the side of the room to help Ryohei sit on the floor and lean against the wall. 

Yamamoto then stood, moving forward as he pulled his Shigure Kintoki out of the bag on his back. He took a deep breath and then swung it into position. In the blink of an eye, the weapon had changed from its normal bamboo practice form to its katana form. Yamamoto held the sword in two hands as the Vongola Ring on his finger began to glow brightly with Rain Flames. Within moments, the metal blade was smothered with them. “Ready!” he chirped. 

Ono smirked and twirled his swords once more as he allowed the other his request. But the moment Yamamoto pulled out his sword, Ono began to charge without waiting for the other to finish speaking. The redhead leaped over the air and allowed the momentum to gather in his swing as his swords came down on the other. 

Yamamoto quickly lifted his sword to block, his eyes widening a fraction at the power of the swing. He winced as he brought the sword down to absorb another blow and slid it to the side, bringing his katana free. With a swift change of stance, Yamamoto brought the sword upwards in a diagonal strike. His eyes were fierce. Gone was the cheerful disposition he had walked in with. Yamamoto was completely in the fight. 

“Heh, not bad.” Ono smirked at the kid’s quick reflexes, but met the other’s sword swing with his own, holding the strike with his left as he brought his right up to swing his sword towards Yamamoto’s face. 

Yamamoto pushed against the left sword, keeping it at bay, but then, there was movement at the corner of his eye. The other blade was heading right towards him. Yamamoto quickly leaned back, grimacing slightly as the blade missed him by a few centimeters. He felt the brief moment of heat wafting from the angry Storm Flames. 

Ono narrowed his eyes slightly at the near miss, but moved to pull his sword back while he twisted the other’s sword away with his left. 

Yamamoto jumped back and held his sword forward and at the ready. His face broke out into a grin and he laughed. “You're pretty strong! This is fun!” he said in his usual carefree voice. But a trained eye would see that Yamamoto's body was still tense. Still ready. He hadn't relaxed his guard in the least. 

Ono looked more annoyed than impressed by his opponent’s strength. “Tch, it looks like I’m not going to make it in time if I don’t start getting serious.” Ono twirled his blades once more, the intensity of his flames increasing as he assessed his opponent. But despite his words, Ono couldn’t help but to be glad that at the very least his opponent was an interesting one. 

Yamamoto tilted his head slightly, curiosity burning. “What do you mean, make it in time?” he asked, tightening his grip on his sword and twisting his feet ever so slightly as he waited for Ono to answer. 

Ono rolled his eyes at the question. “I said it, didn’t I? I got an appointment to keep.” Ono shifted his own stance as his eyes narrowed with focus then. “So be a good boy and die already.” 

Yamamoto smiled a bit. “Sorry. I don't think I can. My friends are waiting for me. So I guess I got an appointment to keep too.” Yamamoto grinned before rushing forward, the smile gone from his lips in a moment. The Rain Flames increased on his sword as he thrust the katana forward.  

 _Shajiku no ame!_   

Ono quickly brought up his swords to block the rushing thrust. Their swords clanged and their flames struggled to outdo each other. For a moment the two stayed locked in a battle of dominance. But then Ono was pushing Yamamoto’s sword away, his right sword bearing the Rain Guardian’s weight while Ono’s left slid away and moved to strike at the other’s stomach. 

Yamamoto saw the sword coming and quickly switched to block it. But then the redhead’s other sword was coming down and Yamamoto knew that blocking it wasn't an option. It was too close and his sword was too far. He jumped back and suddenly smelled burning. He looked at his left sleeve and saw it slowly disintegrated into ash, leaving half the fabric singed and smoking black. Yamamoto knew then that if the Shigure Kintoki was a normal sword, it would have melted long ago. “So.” He held his sword up. “I don't think I got your name.”

“Heh. If you manage to beat me, maybe I’ll tell you.” Ono’s mouth curved with amusement as his eyes lit up in excitement. It had been quite a while since the redhead had fought against an interesting opponent. But in the end, it was all just a game… because Ono had no intention of losing. 

The redhead charged forward once more then, feeling his blood pumping in his veins as he attacked. He aimed for his opponent’s vital spots with each of his swings, his swords coming down on the other right after left, again and again. The redhead’s movements were like that of a relentless storm. 

Yamamoto held his sword tight, quickly lifting it to block every blow that came his way. He had to move fast but it was base instinct right now. Not allowing himself to think as the sword moved as an extension of himself rather than a weapon. 

Then he saw an opening. He freed his sword from Ono's blades, allowing them to fall with the momentum that the redhead had created. Yamamoto swung his sword up and brought it down towards Ono's shoulder. 

“Tch!” At the last second, Ono was able to bring his swords up for a cross block that just barely managed to fend off the attack. His mouth twitched in annoyance as the edge of the katana nicked a few hairs off his fringe. _Talk about a close call..._ Ono’s arms strained against the pressure, and knowing he couldn’t hope to retaliate he pushed the brat and his katana away by sliding his swords in an outward motion. 

Yamamoto stumbled backwards at the force of Ono's push and hopped back on one foot, letting out a grunt as he quickly regained balance. This time he didn't stop to talk. He ran forward. In a blur of movement, Yamamoto charged and swung his left hand down... but there was nothing but an empty hand. 

 _Early Summer Rain._  

Yamamoto brought the sword in with his right hand straight towards Ono's side while the redhead’s sword was busy blocking above for the blow that would never come. 

Ono’s eyes widened at the feint and he sucked in a breath as he spotted the other’s blade heading for his stomach instead. There was no time to dodge or block—his left arm wouldn’t be fast enough to come down to block the attack and his right was still too far to make it in time. 

So he just waited for the inevitable wound that would surely come. Ono gnashed his teeth in anticipation. But in that split second where he had expected to see his blood flying into the air, all Ono felt instead was a bruising pain caused by the dull side of the blade striking him. Ono stumbled with the momentum and hissed at the pain, but he managed to switch the grip on the sword in his right hand in time and caught himself from falling by leaning the tip of his blade against the floor. Ono heaved, because despite the lack of blood, the injury still hurt. But Ono didn’t have time to dwell on it because Yamamoto was already rushing at him again, reading a thrust this time. Ono strained to parry the move, his left arm coming up to push against the blow. But Ono was already beginning to regain his momentum. The realization that his opponent had no intention of striking him down empowered him. 

 _What an idiot_ , Ono thought with a rising smirk as he leaned forward and brought up his right arm to aim a vicious slash against the other’s face, the Storm-coated blade finally making a hit against the other’s skin. 

Yamamoto let out a grunt as a searing pain blossomed on his chin. He twisted with the force of the blow and staggered back. He put his hand over his chin, feeling the split in the skin and the blood pouring out from the wound. He hissed slightly, looking down at his crimson palm and feeling the warm liquid dripping down his neck and into his shirt, staining the white cloth a dark red. 

“Aww, did that startle you?” Ono’s voice was one of mock concern. His mouth was curved into a toothy smirk. “It shouldn’t have, you know. A battle of swords will only end when one of us has been cut down.” Ono’s face was one of a hungry predator as he flicked the blood that gathered on his blade off with a quick twirl. 

“Of course, I won’t complain if you don’t force your blade. I got places to be; people to kill.” The redhead began to rush forward once more. 

Yamamoto stared at him as he spoke, frowning slightly. His chin throbbed with pain as he held his sword out. “I'm not here to kill.” he said as he blocked Ono's incoming attacks. Yamamoto fought back the pain and focused. He dodged a swipe, freeing his sword from the previous blow before swinging his sword up and bringing it down with swift and natural movements. 

“Maybe not today,” Ono acquiesced with a bit of a chuckle as he twisted away from the incoming blow and moved to retaliate. He swung his sword around towards the other’s unguarded back. “But the longer you’re at this game, the faster you’ll learn that kind of mentality will get you nowhere.” 

Yamamoto gave a grunt of pain, the blow burning the back of his shirt. But he lunged forward to avoid most of the blow. He tumbled and somersaulted to catch his balance as he turned to look at Ono.  

The redhead was already in the middle of his next move. Ono had followed after the other’s dodge, so when Yamamoto looked up, the redhead was already swinging his sword, aiming towards the Rain Guardian’s stomach. 

Yamamoto quickly brought his sword to block, the tip of the blade grinding against the floor. He saw the other sword coming in, so he pushed, using the sword's support to jump back and landing on his feet. 

Ono did not allow the miss to deter him. He picked up his pace and lunged towards the other once more, his sword coming to clash against the Rain-coated katana. The metals clanged and their flames struggled to outdo each other as Ono's blade strained to meet Yamamoto's face.  

Yamamoto gritted his teeth, the Rain Flames flaring up as he struggled against the strength of Vendetta's Storm Guardian. He could feel the heat coming from Ono's flames, but he didn't allow the swords to get any closer. A bead of sweat rolled down his face and it made the wound on his chin sting a little. “You know…” He grinned a little. “This has been really fun.” 

Ono snorted at the other’s words. “That’s not usually what my opponents are saying by this point. Well, the ones that can still speak that is.” Ono’s chuckled slightly, his grin vicious. “But I have to admit, you’ve been a pretty fun opponent too. You wanted to know my name, right?” Ono’s grip shifted on the hilt of his blade, and then with a quick change of stance he kicked the other away. “It’s Ono!” The redhead ran after his opponent with swift steps and swung out his swords with a debilitating force. 

Yamamoto grunted as he was kicked back but quickly regained his balance. He hopped a couple more times to put some space between them and smiled at Ono's name. “I like it!” he said before he held his sword down to the ground. The Rain Flames suddenly flared up and he lifted it up diagonally, and then the other way. The Rain Flames trailed in the wake of the sword's path, leaving a wall of flames that, once dissipated, showed that Yamamoto was nowhere to be seen. 

 _Shit…_ Ono growled at the miss. His eyes quickly darted around the room as he twisted on his heel and it was only his precautious nature that saved him from the incoming blow headed towards his back. Ono brought up his sword just in time to block the attack, but the moment Yamamoto’s blade clashed against Ono’s own, it was all over. 

Ono felt his body freeze up and his arm trembled as he tried to maintain the hold of his left sword. But it was no use. The blade was already slipping from his fingers, and despite how much Ono demanded it, his body refused to budge. 

 _What the fuck!?_ Ono’s eyes widened.

“Attaco di Squalo,” Yamamoto murmured, lifting his sword slowly from Ono's and watching him freeze. He walked over and lifted the sword up, slamming the hilt down on the junction between Ono's neck and his left shoulder. 

He knew that Squalo would probably be yelling at him now. Asking why he didn't take the killing blow. But Yamamoto couldn't. That just wasn't how he was.

Ono gasped and made a choked noise that stuck in his throat as the blow sent his stiff body crashing down to the floor. The pain of the collision only made the injury ache more and Ono’s eyes closed shut. He growled in frustration. Ono felt angry. _I can’t let it end like this…!_ He thought of Masaru’s disappointed frown—of Minato’s smirking at his side—and Ono snarled and tried his best to move. But no matter how much he wanted to win, no matter how much he wanted to see the Vongola’s collapse, as well tie up his loose ends with the prefect and the bronco… 

He wouldn’t be able to now. 

As Ono lied there, struggling to move, waiting for the final blow that would send him off to hell, he heard Yamamoto’s footsteps begin to walk... away from him. 

 _This idiot still hasn’t learned, huh?_  

Ono’s trembling grip tightened on his remaining sword and the corners of his lips lifted ever so lightly as he slowly, quietly, struggled to get up to his knees. The redhead’s eyes were dark with bloodlust and his lips thinned with effort as Ono shifted forward, gathering the last of his strength. Ono’s Storm Flames flared up to their maximum power as Ono swung his sword towards Yamamoto’s back, the blade cutting across the cloth and skin and leaving a bloody mess to pour out of the diagonal wound. 

Yamamoto let out a soft sigh. Finally the battle was over... though it was too soon to really have that thought. For as he headed back to Ryohei, he suddenly felt a sharp, burning pain envelop his back. His world wavered in that single moment. His vision blurred turned black and all he could feel was the blood dripping down his skin, his clothes sticking to the fresh wound, and then it all came back to him, full force and Yamamoto found it difficult to breathe. 

Ono began to laugh as the injury splattered blood on to him. Though he could barely move, his body shook as his laughter overtook him. "It's foolish… to show mercy… to your foes,” Ono said in between heavy breaths, grinning. Even as his sword slipped from his fingers and clanged as it met the ground, Ono looked satisfied. 

Yamamoto turned around, cringing in pain and watching Ono fall to his knees. “Then...” he murmured, gasping as he regained his breath. “I guess I'm pretty stupid...” And with a swift movement, he slammed the hilt of his sword into Ono's temple, knocking him out. The Storm Guardian finally slumped to the floor unconscious and Yamamoto stared at him for a bit longer to make sure of it. 

He winced and panted as the Shigure Kintoki reverted to a bamboo sword. It dragged behind him as he felt the blood drain from his body along with his strength. His world lurched thirty degrees and then he was on the floor. Yamamoto had no strength to get up. “Haha...” he breathed. “I guess I kinda... messed up…” he murmured before his eyes rolled back and he fell unconscious.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Dammit!” 

Dino’s hand gripped on tight to his whip as he twisted around in place, checking out his new surroundings with a wary eye. “Hey! Anyone there?” The blonde bit his lip in worry at the silence that met his question. This wasn’t good… Although he trusted everyone to take care of themselves, Dino felt slightly guilty for not being able to look out for the kids. He shouldn’t have let his guard down, but… upon seeing that redhead, upon realizing that that had been the guy who’d been taunting him ever since Kyouya had gotten kidnapped… Dino hadn’t been able to control his temper. 

“Tch!” Dino ran a frustrated hand through his hair before sighing and looking around him once more, this time in a calmer manner. He was in the middle of a long hallway, doors lining along each wall from either direction and there was no indication of which way he should go. _What was the purpose of this?_ Dino wondered as he peeked through a couple of doors. Most of them were duds. None of them seem to hold anything special. 

“Grr…” All this searching was making Dino antsy. He could feel himself growing tenser and tenser by the second. All he wanted was to find Kyouya, as well as everyone else. Their safety was more important than his need for revenge, at least for now. Being here all alone just filled him with paranoia and worry. Had they rescued Lambo yet? Was Sasagawa alright? 

 _Kyouya, are you alright?_  

Dino bit his lip and tried to push these thoughts back. He knew his frustration was getting the better of him, but he couldn’t help it. He wished he could at least call the others to check up on them, but his phone wasn’t getting any signal in here. This was the worst situation. 

 _Argh, I need to focus!_ Dino berated himself once more as he shook his head. He was in the middle of the enemy’s base. This wasn’t the time to space out. Dino needed stay alert. He couldn’t let his guard down again. His enemies could be behind any one of these doors. 

But even though Dino remained cautious, nothing could have prepared him to the sight that he encountered when he peaked into the next room. 

The door he had opened revealed a large room, blank and plain in every way. The walls and floor were gray, and the room was spacious, with a high ceiling and little furniture to get in the way of the fight that was surely about to ensue. 

And right there, in the center of the room, stood one Hibari Kyouya. The prefect stood with his hands hanging loosely at his sides, his wrists marred by rope burns. One hand sticking out at an awkward angle. He had cuts and bruises and his uniform was dirty and ripped. His hair was a few centimeters too long, not to mention greasy and stringy. But his eyes were as normal as ever.

And they were staring at Dino with a murderous intent.

 


	32. Target 31: Delusions of Grandeur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for reading! We hope you're enjoying the fic thus far! If you are, we'd like to remind you to subscribe to the Parallel World series! This fic is coming to a close in just a few chapters but the story isn't over yet! Not by a long shot! There will be oneshots, sequels and prequels, such as how Dino and Hibari got together as well as the origin of the Vendetta Family! I hope you all stick around and don't forget to subscribe!

“K-Kyouya…”

Dino’s eyes roved over his lover’s body almost hungrily. It had been too long… way too long since he had last seen the other. The blonde took a hurried step forward, but as the sight of all those injuries registered through his brain, he found himself unable to move any further. Dino’s stomach clenched with guilt and anger. Though he had expected to find Kyouya in this state thanks to the photos, seeing the injuries here and now was a whole different experience.

“Kyouya, I…” Dino’s eyes trailed down to the floor in remorse, unable to meet his lover’s murderous gaze. He felt those eyes blaming him, hating him, and Dino had to swallow before he could gather the courage to speak again.

“Are you… I mean, I’m sorry! I’m sorry I took so long. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get here sooner. I’m so sorry… for everything. I shouldn’t have let you out of my sight—!” Dino bit his lip harshly, not caring that his sappy overprotective words were probably going to provoke some kind of violent reaction from his lover. All he could think right now was _Kyouya_ , _Kyouya_ , _Kyouya_. He felt so relieved.

Hibari narrowed his eyes as Dino began speaking. Slowly, he began walking forward, his unbroken hand clenching into a fist before he threw a punch directly into Dino's diaphragm. Usually, Hibari's greetings would end with a punch or maybe two if he was feeling particularly irritated, but this time he didn't stop.

He threw a kick at Dino's side and punched the blonde's jaw. He grabbed Dino's wrist and twisted. Hibari didn't stop and just kept attacking.

Dino let out a dry, rasping gasp at the first punch. _Okay, I deserved that,_ Dino thought and bit his lip as he felt a sharp pain spreading over his chest. He didn’t protest to the hit at the jaw either, but he began to struggle a second later when he realized Kyouya wasn’t about to stop. “K-Kyouya… Stop, don’t—!” Dino dodged the blow headed for his head and wrenched his arm free from the other, jumping back to try to stay out of his lover’s range. “Stop it! I don’t want to fight you right now!” 

"I do," Hibari growled, surging forward. He let his broken hand hang limply at his side as he continued attacking with his other three limbs. He rushed and didn’t give Dino a chance to back off too far.

Dino dodged and kept dodging, never retaliating—how could he, with his lover injured, not to mention _pregnant_? But as Dino ducked the next blow, he began to tense. This felt nothing like their usual fights. The pattern was off, not to mention… _He’s not using his arm,_ Dino realized and he narrowed his eyes then, feeling foolish for having taken so long to recognize that this person was not his lover. Kyouya was the type that kept fighting with his all, even when he was in the verge of collapsing. The person in front of him was nothing more than an impostor.

Dino’s hand tightened its hold on his whip; within a second, the coarse leather was wrapped around the fake-Hibari’s wrists. Dino’s hold was tight and unforgiving as he pulled the impostor forward, dragging him across the floor and towards his feet. The blonde’s boot pressed hard over the impostor’s back. “Who the _fuck_ are you?” the bronco growled.

The boy on the floor held his face to the ground before his shoulders began to shake. Little giggles bubbled up in Hibari's voice and it just sounded _wrong_.

"After all I observed, watching that cute little boy in his cell... I guess I can't really fool you." Mist Flames covered the body underneath Dino's boot until there was just nothing there. A few feet away a man appeared, his lips spread into a smile. There was a segmented metal staff in his right hand, which he held vertically, one end planted on the floor. The man bowed smoothly. "Fujita Ayumu, Mist user and illusionist of the Vendetta Family. At your service."

Dino’s body tensed at the Mist user’s words. His mind flashed back towards the pictures at the mention of the cell, and his eyes narrowed sharply as he glared at the man in front of him. “You… You know where Kyouya’s being kept.” Dino flicked his wrist and coiled his whip back up. He held his weapon in front of him with both hands, twisting the braided leather in his grip as he tried to calm his anger down. “Tell me where he is,” the blonde demanded.

"Oh, of course!" Ayumu grinned with a nod. "But how about I show you instead?" In a flash, he was in front of Dino, pressing the palm of his hand to the blonde's eyes. Suddenly, Dino was watching Ono looming over a restrained Hibari and force feeding him. The image blurred for a moment, and then a different one appeared. Hibari was suddenly smacked across the cheek, blood dripping from his lips. Another blurred second passed, and then Ono was gripping Hibari's leg, holding it up as he pushed the prefect down into the floor. Soft hands ran through the ebony locks and then down, resting on his stomach.

Dino was suddenly thrust back into the real world in time for Ayumu to swing his staff at his jaw.

Disoriented by the mental attack, Dino was thrown back several feet as the cold metal met its mark. Dino landed on the floor with a painful thud and didn’t move. He stared up at the ceiling instead, his gaze blank, his mind reeling from the images he had seen.

_Kyouya…_

It was the sheer ache that was swallowing his heart that managed to get Dino to snap out of the shock he had received. His rage and thirst for vengeance bubbled underneath his skin as he rose to his feet.

“Si cazzo _bastardi_ …!” Dino growled deep in his throat as he snapped his whip forward with a flick of his wrist, his Sky Flames enveloping the leather inch by inch as they followed the curve of his whip’s movements.

"Ooh~" Ayumu hopped back, smirking wide. "Shall I show you more? Or maybe…" He held out his hand. "Give you something new to look at?" Suddenly, there was a weight on Dino's shoe. The lifeless corpse of Hibari Kyouya laid there, spread eagle, with his hand on the Cavallone's boot. His eyes were wide, glassy, and lifeless.

Ayumu rushed forward to swing his staff against Dino's knee.

Dino had prepared himself. He’d strengthened his resolve and gathered his focus, knowing that the only things his opponent could show him would be lies.

But when the sight that had haunted his dreams all week appeared before him, looking oh-so-real and lying oh-so-close, Dino couldn’t help but to choke. His limbs froze in place, the flame enveloping his whip flickered slightly, and his eyes seemed glued to the floor where his lover’s impostor was lying. Dino didn’t even register the pain brought by the blow to his knee that sent him stumbling backwards. He was having a hard enough time trying to _breathe._

“N-no…” Dino shut his eyes closed and shook his head wildly, shoving down the sharp pang of grief that was threatening to overwhelm him. _This isn’t real…!_ Dino reminded himself as he bit his lip harshly. How could he have fallen for such a dirty trick twice?

Ayumu smirked and hooked the staff behind Dino's knee, bringing him to the floor. "Is this really all it takes to bring the Bucking Horse to his knees?" He reached down and tenderly ran his fingers down his cheek. Suddenly, he grabbed his blond hair and wrenched his head back. "So pathetic," Ayumu purred as he loomed over him, the illusion fading away.

"You must really miss him," he said softly. "He missed you too." Ayumu's hand was over Dino's eyes again and he was shown images of Hibari and Ayumu himself, sitting side by side and Ayumu changing himself to Dino.

But this was where the story twisted: as Ayumu leaned forward to kiss Hibari, the prefect leaned into it.

It would be a lie to admit that Dino wasn’t morbidly curious to see what Ayumu planned to show him next. As much as it hurt him to see this, as much as he knew it was foolish for him to let his guard down… and as much as he knew Kyouya would hate to know Dino was able to witness his humiliating capture, Dino couldn’t help it. He had to know.

But this, this last image… Dino knew that it was nothing more than a lie. Dino’s eyes snapped open, and blazing glare promised murder.

“Lying _bastard,_ ” Dino spat through gritted teeth as he elbowed the Vendetta member’s stomach hard. The moment the other loosened his hold on him, Dino swung his other arm forward, his whip becoming an extension of himself as it crashed against Ayumu’s cheek, the hit drawing a thick line of blood as the skin split open.

Ayumu cried out as the whip struck him and he stumbled back. "Fine..." He placed his hand over his cheek and rolled his jaw. _Dammit, that hurt._ "We'll do this the hard way..." Ayumu glared and jumped back. He opened his trench coat and pulled out a second ring which he placed on his finger next to the Mist one. It caught fire, showing the light purple Cloud Flames which then smothered over the segmented staff in his hand. "You want a long distance fight?" he growled. "Have at you." Ayumu pointed the end of the staff at Dino. Suddenly, the staff began to grow longer at a quick pace and headed to Dino's stomach with the speed of a fastball.

_Shit_. Dino didn’t have the time to dodge, but he quickly brought up his whip to block the attack. Though he managed to trap Ayumu’s staff between the leather confines of his whip, the staff continued to keep growing and Dino knew that soon he would run out of space to back into. Dino wrenched his arm to the side then and derailed the staff’s path before moving to strike again.

This… This was better. Dino had always been the type that preferred brawling over mind games.

The flame-smothered staff shrunk in order to escape Dino's whip. Ayumu huffed. He hated physical fighting. It was always so tiring. Not to mention there was the risk of getting hurt. So at the sight of Dino bringing up his whip again, his Mist Ring lit up and Ayumu’s flames wrapped around him. The Mist user disappeared, leaving the whip to hit air.

Then, in an instant, Ayumu was suddenly at Dino’s back, swinging his staff at the blonde's head.

_Behind me!_ Dino sidestepped instinctually after catching the movement out of the corner of his eye. But despite having done so, Dino did not turn to attack the figure behind him, knowing it was nothing but a mere illusion. His aim stayed forward instead as he lashed out against the missing Mist user blindly, his whip crashing against the ground with such a force that it split right through the concrete.

“Quit hiding, you coward!” Dino growled as his eyes flitted around, checking his surroundings.

"Hiding? Why would I stop hiding?" Ayumu's voice echoed through the room. "Did you not _see_ what you did to that concrete? I would like to keep my skin intact, thank you very much!" As he spoke, the room began to shift and melt away. Dino was in a swamp. The fog covered the ground and the humidity was sweltering. The ground was muddy and sticky and not at all easy to move around in.

"Diiinoo~" Ayumu sang. "How about we play a little game~?"

Dino took a step back at the sudden change of surroundings—or tried to, rather. He grimaced as his foot struggled to move from its spot, and glared ahead of him as he struggled to see through the misty fog. “I have no intention of wasting my time playing with you,” Dino snapped, eyes narrowing as his stomach clenched in frustration. He allowed his whip to lash out again, this time aiming somewhere to his left.

The whip landed in the muddy ground, the leather being sucked in and held tightly by the thick glop. Ayumu gave a small giggle. "No time? Why, Dino, we have all the time in the world!" he called out. "Why not take a taste of your own medicine?" Suddenly, the vines hanging off the trees whipped towards Dino, beginning to strike him from all sides.

“Ugh!” Dino ducked his head, hunching over as he simultaneously pulled at his whip to return to him and raised his arms to cover himself from the attacks.

"Oh, Dino-kun." Ayumu's voice was suddenly right behind Dino's left ear. Dino flinched and tried to move but Ayumu’s staff was already in front of him, being pulled back until it was pressed up against his neck. "You have to understand," Ayumu purred. "I love playing games. I live for them. I could keep you trapped in an endless string of illusions as my own personal plaything. I could make you believe you've defeated me and have you take your precious Kyou-chan home, and in reality you'd be sitting here, drooling into the floor." He grinned. "And the best part is, you'd never know the difference."

“Ngg…!” Dino let out a short, choking noise at the pressure on his throat and he immediately tried to alleviate it by bringing up his left hand. The blonde felt trapped as he struggled to pull the metal pressure away from his neck while his other arm continued to try to regain its control on his whip. But despite how much he pulled on his whip, it just wasn’t releasing. Dino had to do something!

Seeing no other choice, Dino let out a grunt as he let go of Ayumu’s staff. The return of the choking pressure left him without much breath but Dino’s arm was already moving back to elbow the other’s stomach hard. The blow had simultaneous effects. The first one Dino noticed, with a deep, greedy breath of relief, was the lack of pressure at his neck. The second, which had his eyes flashing in victory, was the wavering of Dino’s surroundings and the realization that his whip had coiled back in his hand long ago.

Dino swiveled around without further thought. The brown of his eyes darkened and a slight, thin smile spread over the bronco’s face. “You want to play a game?” Dino’s whip cracked through the air as the leather wrapped around Ayumu’s neck twice, the hold tight and unforgiving. “Alright, we can play.” Dino’s voice sounded nothing like his usual self. His voice was quiet, promising; the soft bloodthirsty murmur of a mafia boss that should never have been crossed. “Let’s see how long you can survive without the use of that filthy mouth of yours.” Dino pulled at the leather tightly as he allowed himself to enjoy this revenge. For all that Kyouya had to endure… for all the helplessness and anger Dino had felt… Dino would pay back their suffering a thousand-fold.

The elbow in his stomach caused Ayumu's concentration to waver and he gasped. It wasn't a very large window of opportunity but it was apparently enough. The staff clattered from his hand as he gripped tightly to the whip around his neck. He tried to pull it loose but the leather was tight and just wouldn't let up.

Dino’s smile curved cruelly at the other’s feeble struggles. “How does it feel to be on the other side of the fence, hmm?” Dino’s grip never let up as he slowly began to walk towards the Vendetta member, his footsteps resounding over the clear concrete. No sign of the previous illusions could be seen now. “You people should have thought twice before deciding to mess with what was mine,” Dino growled lowly, his voice still tinged with anger; and it was as if that anger was consuming him now because his ring was flaring up stronger than ever, the flames becoming a tinge darker than they usually were. His Sky-charged whip began to shift accordingly, the light-orange flames giving into its darker counterpart which had begun to spread over the length of his whip at an all-consuming pace until they were burning hotly against Ayumu’s skin.

Ayumu's eyes widened and he let out a yell. His ring flared up in Mist Flames but the pain was too much and he could barely concentrate. He opened his eyes and glared slightly at Dino. "And you should have thought twice before siding with the Vongola..." It was hard to even breathe. The whip was coiled tightly around his neck, burning so hot that it felt like razors splitting his skin. Ayumu wheezed, trying to breathe and he knew that if he didn’t do something, he was going to die here. His longing to survive won out over his aversion to pain and he reached out. Ayumu wrapped his arm around the whip connecting his neck to Cavallone Boss’ hand. The sleeves of his coat helped to divert the pain just a bit but he could still feel the blisters forming on his skin. Ayumu’s fingers curled around the burning leather and he gave a rough pull.

Dino’s eyes widened slightly in shock and cursed as he stumbled forward, the action causing him to loosen his tight grip on the other’s neck. Dino scrambled to regain his hold on the other, but it was too late.

Ayumu pulled the whip off of him and staggered to his feet. He threw the whip aside and grabbed his staff. He suddenly disappeared in a flurry of Mist Flames. "Well, if there's one thing that distinguishes me from the rest of the Vendetta... it’s that I know when I'm beaten." His voice sounded tired and pained. "So I will be taking my leave. Give my regards to Kyou-chan."

“I won't let you escape!” Dino’s eyes darted around the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Mist user, to no avail. The blonde snarled and swung his whip out in frustration, hoping the leather would make a hit.

But Ayumu was gone already, his presence as well as any illusions that had remained in the room disappearing with him.

“Dammit!”

Dino ran an aggravated hand through his hair. Anger and unease mixed deep in his stomach at the knowledge that the Vendetta member had managed to escape. Considering his words, Dino was sure the Mist user was more than willing to abandon his Family in order to preserve his life. The realization made him bite his lip harshly. At that moment, Dino vowed to himself that if the Mist user had indeed run off for good, then Dino would not rest until he had found him again. Ayumu would learn that the Cavallone weren’t the type that left business unfinished.

With that resolute conviction firmly in mind, Dino allowed himself to relax a bit, and after a quick onceover, he noticed that the solid wall that had been at his left had melted away to reveal a door.

_Could it be?_ The blonde’s heart raced as a mix of hope and trepidation began to course through him. Dino took a couple hesitant steps as he began walking towards the door. His hand trembled slightly as it reached for the doorknob. With a loud gulp, the blonde began to push the door open…

Hibari had been dozing against the bars, exhausted with zero sleep for the past week. But the moment the door creaked open, he was suddenly alert. He straightened himself, his broken wrist straining against the ropes. But then Hibird began to sing quite joyously.

Hibari's eyes widened. "Dino..." It escaped his lips before he had a chance to stop himself. Because there he was. Like a goddamn dream. But he immediately wiped the emotion off his face and stood straight because despite his injured state, he didn't—no, couldn't appear weak.

“Kyouya!”  Dino felt as if he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t believe that finally, after all this time, he had finally found him. And there was no doubt that this was his lover in front of him this time.

Dino’s eyes roved over his lover’s body, accounting for all the injuries he had expected. The dark anger that he had just managed to push back a few moments ago was struggling to surface. But the sheer relief that was coursing through him was winning out. Kyouya was here. Injured, but safe, and finally within his grasp.

Unable to say another word, unable to continue standing still without his knees giving out, Dino finally let go of the doorknob and rushed ahead towards the cell, his hands reaching through the bars in an attempt to embrace the other. He was mindful of his lover’s injuries, and aware that he should free him from his prison soon, but at that moment, Dino needed the reassurance that this was real. Not a dream, nor an illusion.

Just Kyouya, finally here in his arms.

Hibari instinctively tensed when Dino reached through the bars. A small tremor ran through his body as he was pulled towards the bars and arms were around him. But then... oh, that scent. That familiar scent. Hibari let out a tiny breath and he leaned his face forward, unable to get it fully into Dino's chest, but the edges of his jacket was brushing up against Hibari's cheek and it was just enough.

Hibari closed his eyes for a moment, then, he lifted his head and looked at Dino with a calmer look. "Get me out," he said with that familiar hint of impatient irritation.

“Of course,” Dino murmured. The blonde allowed a small smile curve at the corner of his mouth upon hearing that impatient tone, sounding as proud and demanding as ever. He was glad…

Dino pulled back, though his hands were hesitant to leave his lover’s body. One lingered on Kyouya’s cheek for a moment as he gazed down at his lover with a mixture of tenderness and relief. But then a second later, Dino was reaching into his pocket and taking out a pocketknife to cut through the ropes holding Kyouya’s wrists in place. He was careful not to jar the broken limb, which looked to be in a bad state after having been left unattended for so long. Dino kept a steady grip on his lover once he was done, silently giving the other the support he would surely need. He allowed the other to regain his balance before letting go, and stashed his knife away before grabbing hold of his bullwhip.

“Stand back,” he warned as he lit his whip up with his flame.

Hibari let Dino cut the ropes on his hands and grimaced as they slid away from his broken wrist. The newfound freedom did make Hibari waver for just a second, but he was soon shrugging Dino's hands off. He moved back and leaned against the wall for a single moment before standing straight again. He tilted his head slightly, watching Dino's whip burst into flames. He couldn't help but feel that familiar rush of adrenaline. Dino had always been strong. Will always be strong.

One lash was all it took to split through the bars between them, and then Dino was rushing forward once more. He wanted nothing more than to envelop his lover tightly in his arms and never let go, but he knew the suffocating treatment wouldn’t be welcome. Instead, Dino reached for his lover’s uninjured hand and held on tight. At that moment, all that Ayumu had shown him in their fight rushed through Dino’s mind and the memories made him ache with vengeance. The fierce emotion smoldered in his eyes and Dino stepped forward to hide his eyes by burying his face in the greasy locks of his lover. There was so much he wanted to say, like _I missed you,_ and _I’m glad you’re safe,_ not to mention, _I’m sorry._ But at that moment, all Dino did was press his lips against his lover’s hair before finally stepping back.

Now wasn’t the time for this. They were still in the enemy’s base. Dino still needed to find everyone else; but most importantly at that moment, more than anything, Dino wanted to get Kyouya out of this place as fast as possible.

“Here.” Dino’s voice was quiet as he reached into his jacket and brought out something Dino knew his lover must have been missing this whole time. His tonfa.

Hibari leaned away slightly when Dino rushed over to him, grabbing him and kissing him and suffocating him. To be honest, he appreciated the fact that Dino was here and getting him out. But he'd spent way too much time in this cell and he wanted out. So he was a lot more appreciative when Dino backed off. Although at the familiar metal glint, Hibari lunged forward and snatched his beloved tonfa.

He held then both in his good hand before looking at his broken hand. He glared at it and it seemed that, through sheer intimidation, he forced his fingers to move. He was able to grab his tonfa and he let out a soft sigh at the familiar weight. "Let's leave. I'm sick of this place," he said, before walking past Dino and heading over to the lightning cage. Hibird fluttered happily as Hibari swung his tonfa across the top of the cage. The Lightning Flames split and fizzled out as the top of the cage fell away. "Hibari, Hibari!" The little bird chirped happily before flying up and landing on Hibari's shoulder, giving the prefect's cheek a little nuzzle.

Dino bit his lip as his lover’s rough treatment with his own body, but he didn’t say anything this time. It would be dealt with later. For now, he just gave Kyouya his space as he followed him.

“So this is where he was…” Dino murmured as his mind finally backtracked to acknowledge the little bird he’d overlooked upon arriving. “We were worried…” Dino brought up his finger to rub against the matted, slightly bloodied feathers.

Hibird twittered a bit, relaxed now that he was out of the cage and back on Hibari's shoulder. Hibari glanced at the small bird before looking at Dino. "Exit. Now. I'm done with this place," Hibari said before walking out of the room and looking around to find his way out.

Dino nodded. “Yes, let’s get out of here, Kyouya.” The blonde followed after his lover, and though he was readily alert of his surroundings as they began to walk through the enemy’s base once more, Dino’s eyes always came back to look at Kyouya, never keeping his gaze off of him for more than a couple of seconds.

Dino wasn’t ready to let him out of his sight again, and he wouldn’t be for a long while.


	33. Target 32: For the Sake of the Boss

“What the—!” 

Gokudera’s body tensed as his surroundings suddenly shifted. Gone was the room he had been in just a moment, and with it, everyone else. He was alone. Not even the lawnhead’s heavy, injured body that had been leaning on him before had remained.

Where the fuck was he now? How had he even gotten here? 

More importantly, was Tsuna alright? 

Gokudera bit his lip with desperate worry at the thought, feeling unease begin to crawl around his stomach. Although he knew it was unlikely, he really hoped one of the others had managed to stay by the Tenth’s side. Just the thought of those Vendetta bastards getting together to gang up on his boss made him furious. 

 _I have to find him!_  

Gokudera began stalking his way down the hallway, checking for an exit, or at least a door that led him somewhere, because so far they were all either dead ends, or unable to be opened—literally, not even his bombs seemed to affect them. 

The search almost seemed endless. With every door that he passed, Gokudera’s anxiousness increased. The thirst for a smoke was becoming almost overwhelming. His desire to know if Tsuna was alright was even more suffocating. If only his phone hadn’t broken earlier when they had all fallen into the base. Gokudera let out a loud frustrated sigh and kicked the next door open. He was reaching his limit already. He wanted to find the Tenth and get out of this fucked up base already! 

Minato laughed from his seat on the other side of the room, his Naginata leaning up against the back of his chair. "Hello again, Haya-kun," he said sweetly. "I'm eager to see how much you've grown in these past couple days." He smiled as if greeting an old friend. 

Gokudera’s head snapped up and his body went rock-still when he heard that hateful voice. 

“You…!” Gokudera snarled and his body immediately shifted into an aggressive stance, his hands reaching for his bombs. The amount of hatred that coursed through him in that moment was indescribable. 

Minato laughed a bit. "Yes, me." He stayed in his chair, looking completely relaxed with his legs crossed and his hands resting on his lap. The blonde tilted his head slightly, watching Gokudera's anger with the air of amusement that was akin to a cat watching a mouse trying to escape to its hole. "I see you're happy to see me." 

“As if!” Gokudera growled, his teeth grinding down furiously as he glared at the blonde with heated eyes. “The only thing I’m glad for is the opportunity to finally blow your fucking face to bits!” 

Minato laughed slightly, still completely relaxed as he stood up and grabbed his Naginata lazily. "You tried that last time, Haya-kun. Or do you not remember?" he purred. 

Gokudera’s eye twitched at the reminder. “I don’t make mistakes twice.” the silver-haired teen snapped with a low growl, his tone resolute. And with his words, the four rings in his hand lit up. The Storm, Sun, Rain, and Lightning Flames flared up brightly as Gokudera launched a barrage of bombs towards his opponent. 

But unlike last time, Gokudera didn’t expect his dynamite to become useless. During his week of training, Gokudera had learned each characteristic of the flames he could use, especially that of the Storm. 

So when his Double Bomb attack flew towards the blonde bastard, a thin coating of Storm Flames could be seen enveloped over the projectiles. 

Rain Flames smothered the handle of the Naginata as Minato created the wall he had used last time. But he saw in a moment that something was different. The second that the bombs began to eat away at his flames, Minato jumped to the side, avoiding the explosion. He looked at Gokudera and his smile brightened. 

"Now this gets interesting." He ran towards him. 

“Tch!” Gokudera jumped back, keeping a close eye on the other’s movements as he readied his next move. This time, only half of the bombs were coated in Storm Flames; the other half, the ones closer to Gokudera, were coated with a thin golden coating that would allow his dynamite’s fuse to burn out faster—not to mention increase the strength of the explosion. 

Minato backed up when Gokudera tossed the bombs again. He jumped to the side, intending to dodge the blast but due to the Sun Flames, the blast managed to clip him, hitting him and making his balance stagger. But he quickly caught himself and rushed in to get close up to Gokudera. His opponent wouldn't be able to use his bombs at such a close distance. Minato began swiping at Gokudera with the handle of his Naginata, the Rain Flames flaring up. 

Gokudera sucked in a breath at the sight of his opponent’s flames. He couldn’t allow himself to be hit by them this time. The moment his body stopped moving was the moment Gokudera would lose. But this was what he had trained for…! 

Gokudera dodged the other’s movements as best as he could, and just narrowly managed to avoid the blows. He knew he needed to put distance between them again, but Gokudera still needed to… 

 _There!_  

Gokudera then threw down one of his bombs to the floor, and the moment it hit the ground a big grey cloud of smoke dispersed into the air. Gokudera used the lack of visibility to his advantage as he swiftly moved to put some distance between the blonde bastard and himself—because in just a couple seconds, the few bombs he had managed to sneak into the other’s pockets would explode. 

Minato lifted an arm to shield himself from the smoke that billowed out from the bombs. He was about to chase after Gokudera when suddenly there was another explosion, extremely close. He grunted as his jacket was torn apart as small bombs inside of it exploded. It shredded his shirt as well and left him with a few wounds. 

As the smoke cleared, Minato was looking down, letting the pain take a backseat in his mind. "Let me tell you something, Haya-kun," he murmured softly as he lifted the Naginata again. His voice was still light though his smile wasn't reaching his eyes. 

"There are only three people in this world who have made me use my blade." Minato flipped the Naginata, holding it correctly now with the blade facing towards Gokudera. "Two of them are dead." The Rain Flames traveled down the handle and now smothered the entire weapon. 

“Is that supposed to scare me?” Gokudera sneered as he lit up his next attack. He wasn’t going to allow the other a break, much less allow him to get close enough for a hit. Gokudera let his Sun-coated Rocket Bombs loose next. 

"It should." Minato jumped, dodging the bombs as they rocketed towards him. With a quick spin in the air, he created a Rain Flame shield that lasted long though to dampen the blast before it hit him. He landed in front of Gokudera and began to use his blade to swipe at Gokudera. Minato was moving less lazily. He had a glint in his eye of something a bit stronger than determination and maybe a pinch of bloodlust. 

Gokudera ducked and dodged, but with Minato’s blade dogging his every step, it was impossible for him to get in the offensive. If things continued like this, Gokudera was done for. _Fuck, I guess I have no choice…!_ Gokudera leaped back and tensed as he flicked over a mix of dynamite and mini bombs between them. He brought up his arms to cover his face and chest and allowed the explosion to propel him backwards. Once he landed back on his feet, Gokudera quickly let a few rounds of his bombs fly towards the other, once again coating each projectile with either Sun or Storm Flames. 

Minato grunted as he was also shoved back by the explosion of the mini bombs. When he saw Gokudera's bombs coming at him, Minato tensed, holding his weapon at the ready. With a few swipes, he sliced the Sun bombs, his Rain Flames counteracting and stifling the explosion. For the Storm, he swung his handle around and batted a couple back at Gokudera right as they were about to explode. 

“Fuck!” Gokudera’s eyes widened at the sight of his returning bombs but he closed them tightly as he brought up his arms to protect himself once more. It was sheer luck that protected him from being blown to bits. The bombs had detonated several inches away from him, and though he hadn’t managed to avoid the explosion, the damage could have been worse. 

Still, with his arms bleeding freely and stinging from the burns he had received, Gokudera felt his concentration wavering. It was time to turn the tables. 

Using the smoke from the explosion as cover, Gokudera quickly reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and took out the secret weapon he’d been saving just for this moment. 

 _This is payback_ , Gokudera thought viciously as his gut began to curl with a sense of vengeance. 

“I’m going to fucking kick your ass…!” the teen growled with promise as he began to throw another barrage of Rocket Bombs at his opponent. But this time, the dynamite’s coating was purple in color. And as the bombs began to propel themselves towards Minato, they seemed to triplicate in quantity. 

Minato seemed satisfied to see the wounds on Gokudera's arms. But then the bombs burst out from the smoke and were heading towards him. He ran forward to dodge through the bombs. But suddenly, there were more than he thought. No wait... They were multiplying. Minato's eyes widened and he caught a glimpse of purple before the bombs exploded, tossing Minato aside. 

The Rain user pushed himself off the floor, his lips contorted into a snarl as blood dripped from his head, his blonde hair staining red. He glared at Gokudera and stood. "The ring..." he growled, spotting it on Gokudera's finger. His eyes flashed dangerously. "Well then. When I finish here with you, I will be returning to your precious boss to finish him off as well." 

Gokudera snarled and his eyes flashed furiously at the blonde’s words. “Keep wishing, you bastard! I won’t let you lay a single fucking finger on the Tenth!” Gokudera’s rings lit up brightly at the intensity of his words; of his feelings. An overprotective rage began to simmer and boil in Gokudera’s chest. Just the thought of this bastard getting near Tsuna was too much to bear. 

_I won’t allow it!_

Gokudera was fed up with playing around. He needed to finish this. 

So when he saw his opponent begin to charge towards him once more, Gokudera readied his bombs and charged right back. Gokudera coated his bombs with a mix of Rain and Lightning Flames this time, and just as Minato was near, Gokudera let his Bomb Blitz loose and quickly dodged the incoming blows of the blonde’s weapon as he passed right by him.  

 ** _BOOM!_**  

Minato had moments to realize that the bombs that hung in the air were around him before they exploded. The attack had multiple effects. The Rain Flames slowed his reflexes and the world was just suddenly too fast for him. The Lightning Flames jumped across his skin and he gritted his teeth at the pain as he crumpled on the spot. 

Minato gripped the Naginata, his body tense. He heaved as he struggled to have his limbs cooperate. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. This wasn't how things were supposed to finish. Minato pulled himself to his feet, and through sheer determination, surged towards Gokudera, thrusting the blade of his Naginata, bare of Rain Flames, straight at the Storm Guardian's stomach. 

Pain. 

That was the only thing Gokudera was able to register at that moment. He hadn’t even had the chance to dodge—he had let his guard down. 

 _I’m such an idiot. Shit…!_ Gokudera’s body shook slightly and he felt like retching at the strange sensation of being pierced so deeply. _If I hadn’t swiveled around to look at him… If he had aimed just a few more centimeters to the right… I’d be done for…_

“Haah…” Gokudera tried to control his breathing as he reached up to grab the hilt of the Naginata with trembling hands. The smoker let out a small cry as he forced the blade out of his body—blood splattered out with the motion, making a loud squelching sound. The blood seeped into the white fabric of his torn shirt, staining it with its dark, red color. Gokudera tried his hardest not to focus on the pain as he threw the blonde’s weapon aside as hard as he could. The Naginata clattered loudly as it fell to the floor. 

There was a moment of silence then. Gokudera raised his chin stubbornly and breathed heavily as he glowered at the blonde in front of him. His hand was pressed tightly over his bleeding wound, though Gokudera was doing his best to ignore the wet, warm sticky liquid coating his fingers. 

The two stood immobile there as Minato struggled to regain the full use of his limbs and Gokudera tried to breathe without collapsing. 

But the silence couldn’t stretch forever. 

Gokudera let his anger and determination consume him once more. Minato’s earlier words continuously echoed in his head as he began stalking forward. Uncaring of how battered his own body was, Gokudera reached out to curl his fist around Minato’s tattered shirt and pulled him forward. He didn’t even allow the bastard to think about retaliating before Gokudera’s other fist slammed against the blonde’s cheek. 

“That…” Gokudera breathed shakily as he glowered down at the Vendetta member, “that was payback from our last meeting.” 

Gokudera began to hobble forward once again and fell to his knees right in front of the blonde’s body. He reached for the other’s shirt once more, and at that moment, Gokudera felt tempted to shove his dynamite down the bastard’s throat, but he knew the Tenth wouldn’t approve. He resisted the urge and curled his hand into a fist once more. “This…” Gokudera moved to punch the blonde’s face again, though this time he didn’t let go of the battered shirt, “this is for daring to kidnap one of our own!” Gokudera growled. 

“And this…” Gokudera’s tone was getting lower and lower, becoming a mix of a snarl and a growl. “This is for making my boss cry!” Gokudera’s eyes flashed as he let his fist fly forward hard against the other’s jaw. 

Minato staggered back at the first hit, his battered body not listening to his brain. He took the punches silently until the last one caused his jaw to crack. His head hung back, breathing as blood dripped out from his lips. 

"... Heh... hehe..." Minato's shoulders began to shake slightly and his lips spread into a wide smile. He began laughing. Laughing and coughing blood, but his eyes were filled with that familiar mirth. He reached up and grabbed Gokudera's hair in a tight fist. "Oh, Haya-kun..." he murmured, his head falling limply to the side as he pulled the Storm Guardian closer. 

"I've been where you are," he whispered. "I know what you feel. Your precious Boss will never love you as much as you love him." 

Gokudera drew in a sharp breath as the words hit him. It had been the last thing he had expected the other to say… Gokudera’s eyebrows furrowed at the candid tone the blonde had used. What did this guy know about him and the Tenth? What right did he have to say that? 

Gokudera shook his head slightly, pushing away his confusion. He felt slightly shaken by the declaration; Minato’s words were an identical echo of his own past thoughts, and the raw resignation and pain he caught on the other’s voice sent a pang of fear through Gokudera’s body. 

But… 

But… 

The memory of yesterday night resurfaced then, and all Gokudera could hear was Tsuna’s voice: 

 _“I… I love you too, Gokudera-kun.”_  

Gokudera bit his lip as he closed his eyes and focused on the memory of that night. Of Tsuna’s face, his voice, his words. 

He felt his chest ease and he couldn’t help but to chuckle slightly, the sound faint and more light than bittersweet. “You’re wrong…” Gokudera murmured lowly as his hair shadowed his eyes from view. There was a bit of a smile beginning to curve at the corner of his lips. “But even if you weren’t… I’ll always continue to love him. I’ll always protect him.” 

Gokudera reached up and tore off Minato’s grip from his hair, letting the hand fall towards the ground as he leaned back to sit on his legs. He could hear Tsuna’s voice ringing clearly in his ears as he said his name, and they strengthened him—anyone who looked would see it in his eyes.

“Don’t lump us with your tragic sob story, idiot. The Tenth… the Tenth is nothing like your boss. And I am nothing like you.” 

Minato let his hand drop where Gokudera pushed it. He looked at him, watched his eyes and his expression change. Minato’s stayed identical. That ever-present smile remaining, though a bit of bitterness leaked into his eyes. “Tragic sob story…” He closed his eyes then and leaned his head back, lying flat on the floor. 

“I guess it is quite tragic.” He hummed before letting out a soft breath. Ah, the world sounded so simple when it came from a child’s lips. How blissful it must be. “I can’t wait for you to grow up.” 

Gokudera bristled at the condescending words and the implications behind them. “Just shut up already,” he muttered, feeling nothing but disgust for this man. The small amount of sympathy that had risen through him just a moment ago was quickly being squashed as the blonde continued to speak. Gokudera shook his head in self-reproach and tried to ignore the dizzy feeling that followed the motion. 

_I’m losing a lot of blood, aren’t I?_

Gokudera bit his lip at the realization and grabbed at his stomach tighter, increasing the pressure on his wound. The bomb-user welcomed the pain for now, concentrating on it so he wouldn’t lose his grip on reality. He closed his eyes for a second in order to gather himself, but it must have been longer than that because when he opened them again he was mildly surprised to his opponent had finally succumbed into unconsciousness. 

The silver-haired teen frowned at the sorry sight, and with a strained intake of breath, he forced himself on his feet and began to shuffle towards the door. 

Gokudera couldn’t afford to pass out now. Not when he still had to look for the Tenth.

 


	34. Target 33: The Sky's Limit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! First of all, we wanted to apologize for taking so long to update. With school starting up again, our schedules have become more hectic. From now on we are going to be updating our stories on Fridays instead of Wednesdays.
> 
> Warning: This is the final chapter. Next week, there will be an epilogue, but after that this part of the story will be finished. Remember to Subscribe to the series or else you will not get alerts for the other one-shots and sequels that will be happening.
> 
> We would like to apologize again for this chapter because it is pretty much the most painful thing we've ever written. We hope you enjoy it, and that it simultaneously makes you burst into tears. :)
> 
> Thanks for sticking by us for these past 33 chapters, and we hope you keep sticking around for more. Please don't forget to review. We can't wait to hear what you have to say.
> 
> Trigger Warning: Excessive violence and morbidity in this chapter.

Tsuna looked around in panic. "Lambo?!" he called out, wide-eyed. He stared down the hallway before whirling around. "Chrome! Onii-san! Dino-san! Yamamoto! Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna ran a hand through his hair, his eyebrows knitting together in worry. He knew this was an illusion and he reached into his pocket, holding on to the bottle of Dying Will pills. He couldn't swallow them yet. There wasn’t an enemy. It wasn't time. 

Tsuna bit his lip slightly and headed down the hallway. He could feel the tension coiling deep in the pit of his stomach as he tried door after door, occasionally calling out for his friends. Zero reminded him that perhaps it might be a good idea to stop yelling in the enemy’s base. Tsuna bit his lip, glancing backwards every so often, wondering what the illusion looked like behind him. But it held. It was the hallway that he had just walked through. Were the others going through this too? Perhaps they’d all been singled out. His stomach clenched and he did his best to remember how much they had all been training and how far they had come. Surely the others would be able to handle themselves. It was Lambo he was mostly worried about. These people didn’t seem the type to be kind to children. 

Tsuna let out a hopeless sort of whimper as he looked back again. But still, nothing had changed. There was nothing for him there. He could only move forward. Fortunately, it wasn’t long until he reached the final door. 

The large door that Tsuna pushed open next revealed a highly-decorated, large, spacious room. Though there was little furniture placed around the room, the long wooden table in the middle surrounded by seven tall imposing chairs was an eye-catching piece of work. 

But what really drew Tsuna’s eyes in were the tall multicolored glass windows that surrounded the room. Much like with the chairs, there were seven in total: three on each side and one directly in front of him. They all seemed to have been purposely placed in accordance to the chairs, or perhaps it was the other way around. Each window was made of differently colored glass, and upon looking closer, one would be able to notice the fine etchings that had been made on the glassy surface; they each appeared to represent the different attributes of the Sky. The craftsmanship made quite an impression, especially since each window seemed to be emitting a soft glow. The overall effect created reminded the brunette very much of a rainbow. 

“Ah, it’s about time you got here.” 

The soft, quiet voice that called out came from the center of the room, and a closer look at the head of the table revealed the boss of the Vendetta Family. The blue-haired made quite a sight from his spot as the light coming from the orange window behind him sparkled brightly in the dim darkness of the room. 

Masaru looked up towards the brunette with a slight quirk of his lips. “I was wondering how long you would take. You were making quite a racket out there.” Masaru shot Tsuna a slight smirk, his lips curling in amusement. 

Tsuna's jaw, which had dropped in awe as he stared around the beautiful room, snapped shut as he noticed that sinister presence mere seconds before Masaru spoke. Tsuna stared at Masaru, a small frown touching his features. He swallowed before stepping forward and standing at the other end of the table. "What did you do to my friends?" 

“Oh, no need to worry about them. They shouldn’t be too far.” Masaru leaned forward to rest his chin on his gloved hands. A slight, teasing smile stretched over the corner of his lips as his half-lidded eyes stared lazily at the Vongola boss. “And I’m sure they’re getting their share of entertainment. My Guardians have been dying to meet them after all. ” 

Tsuna's brow furrowed slightly as he stared at Masaru. He didn't budge from his spot. "Don't talk about my friends like that," he said, his voice gaining a bit of a stern tone, though his eyes still held that ever-present wariness. "Please. Just tell me where they are. It's me you want, right? You wanted to assassinate me. Don't involve them." 

Masaru snorted slightly at the brunette’s words. “Don’t misplace your own blame on me, boy. From the beginning, my goal has always been the same—to eradicate the Vongola. Your friends’ lives are on your own shoulders." His smile turned sharp and ruthless as he stared at the brown-eyed teenager before him. His quiet voice echoed strongly throughout the room as he murmured next: 

"You should have thought twice before involving them in matters of the mafia,  _Decimo_.” 

Tsuna's eyes widened slightly at the accusation. It was true. Onii-san wouldn't be so injured. He'd probably be with Kyoko-chan today if he'd never joined him. Hibari-san would have never been kidnapped. The others would be safe at home. Gokudera-kun... Well, he would probably be in Italy. He would have found happiness away from Tsuna because Gokudera was an amazing person. He would have been just fine, surely. 

_/ Idiot... /_  

Suddenly the Dying Will Flames burst into life on Tsuna's head of their own accord. He tugged his gloves on and they too caught fire. Zero opened his eyes and placed his hands on the table, glaring at Masaru. "Enough talk. You want a fight? I'll make sure to give you a fight." His glare was scorching. "Get up," he snarled. 

Masaru’s languid posture seemed to vanish at Zero’s appearance. His eyes narrowed sharply and his lips tugged down with displeasure as he straightened up in his chair. “I see that filthy side of you has finally decided to come out,” Masaru murmured with an undercurrent of rancor in his voice. “But this suits me well. It will be fitting to end Primo’s legacy in this manner.” Masaru pushed his chair back and slowly got up to his feet. The white cloth of Masaru’s gloves made a bright contrast as they splayed over the wooden table that stretched between the two bosses. 

Zero sneered. His fingers tensed, the tips pressing into the dark wood and the flame flaring slightly. "The Vongola legacy is not so easily defeated," he said lowly. Zero then pushed himself up, planting his feet on the table before throwing himself forward. With a flash of Sky Flames, he shot down the length of the table, heading straight towards Masaru. 

“We’ll see about that.” 

For a moment, the Vendetta boss didn’t move an inch. But then, it almost happened too quickly. There was a flash of orange as Masaru’s gloves began to glow with Sky Flames, the white cloth beginning to shift into metal. Masaru placed a foot on the edge of his chair, and then he was flipping across the air, gloved hands coming to rest on the brunette’s shoulders for a second as his body came down in a full arc—and then, with a quick turn of his heel, Masaru landed a hard kick across Zero’s back, the blow sending the brunette in the direction of the dark purple window. 

Zero grunted and maneuvered himself, coming to a hovering halt in front of the window. He turned and the lightest of smirks touched his features. "Finally. The Vendetta stops playing and bares its teeth," he said, before rushing forward and bathing his right hand in hard flames. He quickly threw a punch at Masaru's chest. 

“Tch, don’t get so cocky, thinking you’ve forced my hand.” Masaru sneered as he planted his feet on the table, ready to counter the other’s momentum. Zero’s punch was derailed from its path as Masaru brought up his hand to stop the other, carefully managing to avoid the blow as he grabbed hold of the other’s forearm and pushed it aside. His vice-like grip deterred the other from moving, though the brunette’s flames continued to burn furiously over Masaru’s shoulder, the heat singeing a couple of Masaru’s hairs. “Everything that led up to this point has been meticulously planned. Years of hard work… Everything was done in order to bring you down to your knees before me.” Masaru smirked and then flung his opponent across the table. 

Zero grimaced at the grip on his arm and glared at Masaru as he spoke. He was then flung and it took a moment before he was able to catch himself. He landed in a cat-like post on the table, sliding a couple inches on the wood before finally stopping. "The Vongola doesn't kneel!" Zero rushed forward again just as a voice erupted from his headphones. 

_"Tsuna, what are you doing!?"_  

/ ...Reborn...!? / 

Zero lost his focus for that moment. He could feel Tsuna’s presence right underneath his skin. Reborn’s familiar voice was shouting in his ear, but it wasn’t to him. It was to his other self. 

… But “other” didn’t really describe him correctly, did it? 

This body belonged to Tsuna. Reborn was calling to its rightful owner. Zero was the other. 

Masaru’s lips tugged into a smirk as he noticed the Vongola’s slight body jerk. Zero’s lunge almost seemed to lose momentum as Tsuna’s consciousness resurfaced for that brief second. And it was this weakness that Masaru turned to exploit. “In that case, I’ll have you grovel at my feet instead!” Masaru brought his hands together before him, and the moment Zero crossed into his range, he slammed them down on the other’s neck and caused the other to land hard on the table, his face inches away from Masaru’s feet. Masaru quickly stepped forward to press his foot over the brunette’s shoulder, digging his heel in deep as his eyes flashed with satisfaction. 

Zero let out a grunt as he was slammed into the table and, before he could get up, a foot was digging into his shoulder and keeping him down. Zero growled and reached out, grabbing Masaru's ankle. The flames on his hands flared up to the darker, harder flames. 

_"Tsuna, get back in there! I didn't tutor Zero. I tutored **you**."_  

/ Reborn... right... Sorry…! / 

Zero suddenly froze and the flames fluctuated. He had no more strength now. The hand on Masaru’s ankle loosened as the flames dimmed and flared. The two battled before Tsuna felt the feeling return to his fingers. The young teen panted, almost tired with the struggle but he did his best not to let it show. The flames became stronger and his grip on Masaru’s ankle tightened again. 

“I wonder if I should be disappointed or impressed.” Masaru looked amused to be witnessing the Vongola boss’s internal struggle. “Has the Vongola’s Will finally hit its limit? Or could it be that there is actually more to you than your filthy bloodline, boy?” Masaru shook off the other’s grip on his ankle and kicked the other away from him once again, sending him flying off to the side. And though the cloth of his pants and the surface of his skin had been burnt, his face showed no trace of discomfort. 

“Either way, no matter what face you show me, I will end you.” Masaru’s soft voice was promising. And then, a second later his gloves were flashing again. This time it was Masaru who was propelling himself forward, lunging towards his still-airborne opponent. 

Tsuna gritted his teeth, letting out a cry when he was kicked aside. He managed to right himself just in time to open his eyes and see Masaru in his face. Tsuna let out a small gasp and put out both his hands, the two palms facing the Vendetta boss. Hard flames flared up and he shot them forward, his own body shooting backwards as a result. 

“Tch!” Masaru’s eyes narrowed with annoyance and he made his flames flare up brightly as he swung his arms across the front of his body, as if he was slashing the air. “Mille Couteaux!” he shouted. The motion stopped Masaru from running straight into Tsuna’s attack, but that wasn’t the only effect it had. In that moment, thick lines of flames shot out of the tips of Masaru’s gloves and the slash-like attack collided against Tsuna’s own, the clash triggering a small explosion that shoved both boss backwards and caused smoke to spread throughout the room. 

Tsuna was sent crashing through the large red window. The shards of glass rained down on him. The larger pieces cut through his shirt and there were red streaks of blood welling up and staining the white fabric. But they were small slices and Tsuna counted himself lucky. There was no doubt that this guy was strong. Tsuna glanced around and frowned slightly, his mind wandering for a moment to the others, wondering if they were hurt. 

Masaru didn’t have such worries. Instead, a dark look crossed his face as the smoke cleared out. “To think you would force me to bring these out…” he muttered to himself as he began to rush towards the other once more, taking advantage of the Vongola boss’ absentmindedness. Now that the room was clear of smoke, one would be able to notice that there was something different about the Vendetta boss’ gloves. They seemed longer, sharper. The previously dull tips had transformed into something akin to claws. And they were currently swiping across the air, aiming directly towards Tsuna’s face. 

Tsuna's eyes widened as he saw the difference in the gloves. He lifted his hands, the metal of his X-gloves deflecting the sharp claws with a few sparks. He rolled out of the way and looked at the situation with as calm a mind as he could muster. He rushed forwards to see if he could get a punch in, making sure to be wary of the claws now on Masaru's fingers. 

Masaru propelled himself up to dodge the blow. He flew through the air, and shot off another aerial attack at the other once he saw Tsuna moved to follow him. 

Tsuna twisted in his ascent, the attack grazing his side and splitting the shirt open. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. The flames rushed angrily as he sped up. He suddenly flipped at the last moment. Tsuna’s legs came up and he connected a heel to Masaru’s chest. 

Masaru grunted at the blow and was sent flying back across the room. Just before he hit the other side of the room, however, Masaru used his flames to regain his balance. The angry orange flames flared up strongly as he hovered in the air, and the intensity behind his intent managed to shatter the window behind him. Green shards rained down onto the floor as Masaru’s gaze snapped up and honed in on Tsuna. 

“Enough,” he snapped lowly. There was an irritated frown forming at his lips. 

The next second, Masaru was flying across the room, and a rapid flow of blows were exchanged. Masaru was relentless in his attacks, and didn’t allow Tsuna to breathe. The Vongola boss held up for a while, at least until Masaru slammed his knee into Tsuna’s gut, and then proceeded to kick him across the room. 

Tsuna couldn’t even grunt in pain as his breath was knocked out of him. His eyes widened and he flew back, straight into one of the windows. But this one didn’t shatter completely. The glass shards gripped at his thighs and back as Tsuna placed his hands against the yellow-stained glass. He cried out, feeling the pain begin to pulse and the blood dripping down his back and legs. Tsuna panted a couple times before he pressed his palms more firmly against the cracked glass. Hard flames flared up and with a quick shot, he shattered the glass around him. 

Tsuna wasn’t sure if there were still shards stuck in his skin but he couldn’t afford to dwell on that now. He glanced back towards the broken glass, ignoring the sight of the red-tipped yellow glass clinking down to the floor, and instead turned back towards Masaru. He couldn’t stop. He couldn’t give up, not when his friends were in danger. He rushed forward again, paying little to no mind to his own pain. 

Masaru smirked at the other’s futile attempts. This battle was all about speed, power, and will. And Masaru was confident he had the upper hand here. Tsuna’s injured appearance only served to fuel his confidence, and the Vendetta boss didn’t even flinch at the sight of the incoming blow. He merely brought up his arms to block the punch. If he was affected by the blow, it didn’t show, because he was already swiftly turning his arm to grab hold of the other’s. Masaru’s grip was tight and the metal of his claws were already digging into Tsuna’s skin as he slammed the brunette against the window behind him. The pale violent glass creaked loudly as cracks began to form. Masaru’s other hand rose and clamped tightly over the Vongola boss’ bare neck. He pinned him there, and stared down at his opponent with a gaze that seemed to bore into Tsuna’s very soul. 

“So weak… Just as we hoped you would be,” Masaru murmured with a satisfied smile as he squeezed the other’s neck tighter and tighter. The glass behind Tsuna continued to crack. “Did you know that if it wasn’t for us, the Vongola would never have appointed you as its successor?” 

Tsuna grabbed hold of Masaru's arm, letting out a gasp as the hand tightened around his neck. He could feel pinpricks of pain as the points of the claws dug in and Tsuna struggled to get free.  

"Wh... What are you talking... about..?" Tsuna gasped, grabbing on to Masaru's fingers, trying to pry them off. Or at least loosen them enough to breathe. 

But Masaru’s grip was unrelenting. “I mean, it was _our_ interference that got the Ninth’s brats killed, one by one. We had planned to eliminate Xanxus next, but you did such a good job taking care of him for us. The Cervello will never accept his succession now.” Masaru smiled slightly as he pulled the other even closer. Masaru’s lips were brushing over Tsuna’s ear now, his voice soft as he spoke. “But now it’s your turn.” 

Tsuna's eyes widened as he listened to Masaru's words. A shiver ran up his spine at the whisper and he froze for a moment. Had the Vendetta really had a hand in everything that had happened? Had they really done all of this? He let out a grunt and struggled more, grabbing a hold of Masaru's wrist, opening his mouth in a gasp. 

“TENTH!” 

The loud cry shocked the Vendetta boss into loosening his hold a bit as he turned his head to gaze at the intruder. 

The Storm Guardian of the Vongola was standing by the door, looking pale and shaky as he leaned his weight on the wooden frame with one hand, while his other clutched at his bleeding stomach. 

“You bastard! Let go of him!” Gokudera snarled as he took a wobbly step forward. 

Tsuna's eyes widened at the sound of a familiar voice and craned his neck to look over. He paled at the sight of his friend. Quickly, Tsuna pressed both hands against Masaru's chest and gave a blast of hard flames, throwing the Vendetta boss off of him and sending him flying across the room until he crashed into the blue-tinted window. Tsuna winced at the gashes left on his neck, but hurried down to Gokudera. "Gokudera-kun!" he cried quickly, looking over him with worried eyes. 

“Tenth… you’re alright…” Relief flooded Gokudera’s eyes. “I’m glad…” the bomb-user murmured, panting slightly. He straightened up a bit once the brunette had gotten closer, trying not to look as bad as he really was. And really, just knowing that the Tenth was alright was already making him feel better. 

"Gokudera-kun, please. Just sit down. Don't overexert yourself," Tsuna said, hovering close by. 

“…What a sickening reunion.” Masaru’s quiet voice sounded cold and furious as he spoke. It was followed by a rustling noise and the sound of glass falling to the ground. A second later, a bright light shone through the broken window that Masaru had fallen through, and the Vendetta boss was flying back into the room. Masaru looked tense as he hovered through the air, and his face was dark with anger. 

“To think you could have managed to beat my right-hand man…” he murmured as the intensity of his flames increased. A few blue shards of glass fell out of his hair as he looked down. His body shook in anger. “I guess it’s up to me to end you both!” he growled, and then began to propel himself in their direction. 

Masaru’s voice made Tsuna's chest fill with fear. Not a fear for Masaru, but for Gokudera. "No!" He quickly flew at him, using his full speed and punching Masaru right across the jaw. 

The hit send Masaru flying back a few feet once more and infuriated the Vendetta boss even further. Where was this strength coming from all of the sudden…? 

“Little brat…!” Masaru growled and swiped his hand through the air— “Mille Couteaux!” he shouted, and the same thick lines of flames from before flew in Tsuna’s direction. 

Tsuna quickly brought up his arms to block the attack but it hit him, knocking him back a couple feet in the air. 

"Yo, Tsuna!" Yamamoto was leaning against Ryohei who was doing the same. They supported each other down the hall and in through the door as Yamamoto winced due to the wound on his back. "Come on! You can't lose now!" 

"Yamamoto...!" Tsuna's eyes widened. "Onii-san!" 

“Go kick that guy’s ass to the extreme, Sawada!” Ryohei was grinning lopsidedly as he leaned against Yamamoto, and though he still looked worn out, he appeared to be doing better than he had been earlier. 

“Heh… Took you guys… long enough…” Gokudera turned to look at them with a brief grin, though he couldn’t help but to wince in sympathy at their injuries. 

Tsuna looked over their injuries and a pang of guilt hit his chest but also a warm feeling of relief because they were at least alive. He turned to Masaru and rushed forward. He couldn't give the man an opening. He couldn't let him hurt his friends. 

Masaru’s body seemed to be getting tenser and tenser at the continuous arrival of the Vongola members. How could they have beaten his Guardians? How had they survived?! 

_It can’t be…! Not again!_

Masaru turned his rage to his incoming opponent and the two bosses began exchanging rapid blows in the air. “I won’t let you win this time…!” Masaru’s claws brushed past Tsuna’s cheek, leaving a deep cut. “Just give up and die!” 

Tsuna could see the tense muscles, see the taut anger. It was scary, but also revealing. Tsuna was able to dodge the blows coming in because he could see them coming. But with one rogue glance towards his friends to check on them, the gash appeared on his cheek and he winced.  

_/ Use the X-Burner. It will make quick work of him. /_  

_There's no opening. He's too fast!_ Tsuna blocked another blow and sent a punch towards him.  

"Boss!" Another pair had appeared at the door and Chrome's naturally quiet voice raised just a bit. "You... You can do it!" She held Lambo cradled in her arms. The five-year-old looked scared but was sticking his tongue out bravely as he clutched on to Chrome’s arms.                                                    

“Beat up that stupid guy, Tsuna!” 

Tsuna's eyes widened. Lambo and Chrome. They were both okay! 

Masaru’s rage hit its limit at the sight of the latest arrival. Even those two had survived? _Impossible…!_ The Vendetta boss was beginning to lose his focus as a mix of despair and desperation began to fill him. “ ** _Damn you, Vongola_** _!_ ”Masaru flared up his flames and let the force of his flaming claws push Tsuna aside before swiftly turning his attention to the Guardians crowding by the door. “How many times will I have to watch you kill my people? What will it take to finally defeat you?!” Masaru began to charge towards them, murder in his eyes. 

Tsuna cried out as Masaru’s attack threw him straight down. He crashed into the long table at high speeds and the wood underneath him groaned and cracked before the table itself buckled. It broke, leaving Tsuna lying in a pile of splintered wood and the pain that rushed through him from the wound on his back caused the room to spin. Tsuna forced himself to focus as he heard Masaru’s raged filled voice. He pushed himself out of the rubble and into the air. He watched as Masaru targeted his friends and time itself seemed to slow down. 

_/ You won't reach him in time. /_ Zero's voice echoed in his head. _/ You need to use the X-Burner. /_  

_It takes too long to charge up!_  

_/ Use my strength. /_  

This exchange took a mere second as Tsuna put his arms out. "Operation: X!"  

"Roger, Bo- 300,000 Fiamma Volts." The robotic voice jumped with Tsuna's power and with a yell, he shot off the massive column of flames, catching Masaru before he got too low and carrying him through the large doors. The illusion had long since disappeared and Masaru flew into another large room.  

_Damn you…! DAMN YOU!_ Masaru let out a loud, pained scream as he felt the Vongola’s X-Burner envelop his body. He could feel every inch of him burning, every particle of him screeching with agony and the pain meshed together with the turmoil in his heart. Frustration, regret, anger, and hate—all of it consumed Masaru’s body, much like how the hard flames engulfing his body were. 

_How could this have happened…?_ Masaru shut his eyes tightly as he felt his body crash against the hard wood of the room’s doors. _After all these years,_ _why does the Vongola continue to prevail…?_

Masaru’s body ached in agony, and the pain didn’t end there, because just as he was about to hit the ground, he felt the cold, hard metal of Hibari’s tonfa collide against his jaw. The blow caused him to slide painfully across the floor. 

When he finally managed to open his eyes, the sight that met his gaze was of Hibari craning his neck, looking down his nose at the Vendetta boss with a murderous expression. 

_So even you managed to escape…_

“You… infuriating… cockroaches…” Masaru choked out from the floor, his words sounding muffled. “I’ll…” Masaru struggled to get up on his elbows, but his body wasn’t listening to his commands anymore. Everything felt so achingly numb. 

“It’s over,” Dino murmured quietly from Kyouya’s side as he, too, stared down at the Vendetta boss sprawled by their feet. 

“Over…?” Masaru repeated as if testing the word in his mouth. His body began to shake then, and quiet little chuckles could be heard coming from the Vendetta boss. 

“Yes…” Masaru whispered as he struggled once more to get up—he managed somehow, though his shaky body only allowed him to sit back on his legs. 

Dino tensed at the other’s movements and immediately stepped up to get in front of his lover, his whip at the ready. 

But Masaru did not even glance their way. Instead, he slowly moved to look up at the ceiling, staring at it as if he could see something there. 

“It really is over…” he repeated once again and brought up a shaky hand to rub tiredly at his face. There was a look of frustration clouding his expression. 

Tsuna watched Masaru for a few moments, his flames dying down to their normal size as he lowered himself to the floor. He swallowed and stepped forward, however keeping his distance and keeping aware as he asked the question that had been buzzing in his head for the past eight days. 

“What…” He took a soft breath. “What’s over? Why have you done all of this?” 

"Why…?” Masaru let the word linger on his lips as he closed his eyes. A bitter smile began to form as the answer rose like a bad memory. “Don't you already know, Sawada Tsunayoshi? You saw it too, didn't you? Vongola's sins. The constant struggles between our Families.” Masaru’s eyes slid open and his gaze locked on the successor of the Vongola. The vitriol he’d inherited when he’d put on his Family’s ring didn’t resurface then—it deepened. “I was just following my Family's footsteps. The Vongola's killed many of my people over the years... Too many. So, of course, we've worked to pay them back with equal retribution each time,” he said. "But… it looks like this is finally the end of it all.” 

Tsuna winced under this man’s gaze. His words sunk deep into his mind as he remembered the screams and shrieks of fear so clearly, as if he was back in that moment. Tsuna had watched and heard the victims of the Vongola Family, their sins, and wondered, not for the first time, if he really was on the good side. 

Was there even a good side? 

Tsuna shook his head and returned Masaru’s gaze. However, his flames were fading and while his expression remained steadfast, his voice grew soft. “It is the end. Because I’m going to change all of that.” Tsuna took off his gloves and let them fall to the floor. His palms remained open towards Masaru as he spoke. “We can work together. We can end these struggles, these needless fights.” Tsuna took a step forward, slow and soft. “It doesn’t have to be this way.” 

“You’re wrong.” 

Masaru’s voice cut through the room and brooked no argument. The unwavering tone the refusal had been uttered in made the majority of the room tense. Gokudera’s heart jolted in his chest, and Yamamoto tensed as he tightened his grip on his sword. The rest of the Guardians showed similar reactions save Hibari, who continued to watch the unfolding scene impassively next to an apprehensive Dino.  

“After everything that’s happened between our Families… Did you really think that I would say yes to that? It would be an insult to the memories of my ancestors! Of my father!” Masaru snapped, feeling a pang in his chest as he spoke. “My entire family is dead because of you. My uncle, my brothers…They all gave up their lives for this bloody legacy. They left me to shoulder it. But now…” 

Masaru closed his eyes and his memories shifted away from his past. He thought of his Guardians and wondered if any of them had lived. He didn’t doubt they had fought to the very end. They had all made a promise… 

And now it was time for Masaru to fulfill his. "I vowed to myself before that this damnable conflict would end with me… and it will.” 

Masaru’s words were resolute, and his flames lit up brightly for a second. Then, before anyone could move or blink—there was a sickening squelching noise and a splatter of blood flying through the air. The sharp, metal claw of Masaru’s right hand was stuck deep inside his own stomach. 

"NO!" Tsuna cried and rushed forward, but his body gripped with shock as a cold but warm feeling shocked his system. The man’s blood splattered over his front and his face. Tsuna slowly opened his eyes and a full body shudder rushed through him, leaving the young boy trembling in its wake. Tsuna could hear a voice in his ear but he couldn’t place it. He couldn’t find the strength to even open his mouth and respond, none the less comprehend what it was saying. 

“Holy shit…!” Gokudera blanched and his breath stuttered as he stared at the gruesome scene before him. 

Yamamoto’s eyes widened and the grip on his sword loosened with shock. He felt the pain of his injuries being pushed to the back of his mind as a new, imaginary pain, in his stomach surfaced at the sight of the self-inflicted wound on their fallen enemy. Beside him, Ryohei paled as well. “No way…” he muttered. He stared at Masaru wide-eyed, unable to process the scene before them. 

Chrome quickly covered Lambo’s view with her hands and ignored his protesting voice, shushing him as she held on to him tightly. 

Only Dino and Hibari didn’t flinch. Hibari watched, his lips twitching downward in apparent disappointment. Beside him, Dino said nothing, but he grimaced at the sight before them. 

"... Boss..." The broken voice announced Minato's arrival. He leaned against his Naginata, bleeding and weak. His usual smiling façade was gone and he was staring on in horror as Masaru bled out into the floor. 

_Minato…_ Masaru’s eyes shifted to look at him upon hearing his voice. The Vendetta boss was rapidly paling, but he couldn’t help but to muster up a bittersweet smile at the sight of his right-hand man. 

“Hey…” Masaru rasped, coughing slightly. Blood began to trickle down his lips then, running down his chin, only to join the thickening puddle surrounding him. 

“I’m…” Masaru’s voice wavered as he closed his eyes. He could feel his life fading and almost felt glad. However, there was a twinge of regret inside of him at the knowledge that his death would leave a scar on his Guardians that would never fade. Just like the scar his family had left inside him, long ago… 

_Sorry, guys…_ wasMasaru’s last thought as his body began to fall forward into the pool of blood before him. 

Minato lurched forward, gripping tightly to his weapon and only letting his Naginata clatter to the floor when he reached out for his Boss, hesitating only for a moment before grabbing him and feeling right at that moment Masaru go limp and the feel the life leave his body. Minato let out a soft breath, dropping all his inhibitions and trembling slightly. He gripped tightly to the bloodied clothes and pushed with all the remaining strength he had left. He turned Masaru over, laying him on his back. “Boss?” His voice sounded so far away and he didn’t know why he was calling out to him. Minato stared at his boss’ face, for once calm, clear of those worried wrinkles and angry creases that seemed to decorate his face every minute of these past months. “Boss…” he choked, not daring to touch the man’s face, not daring to shatter the peace he’d seemed to have found. 

That’s all he had wanted, all Masaru fought for. It was all for peace. 

_Minato walked into Masaru’s office like any other day. He smiled, feeling that particular warmth that always surfaced when he was in the same room as his boss. However, when he looked at the man sitting beside the desk he noticed something… off. The man seemed less concentrated as usual as he stared blankly down at a report. Minato’s smile shrunk and he walked forward to the side of the desk. “Good morning, Boss,” he started normally. A moment of hesitation paused his words before Minato continued. “Is there something wrong?”_

_It took Masaru a second to register the question, and once he did, the slight frown at his lips deepened slightly. A sigh escaped Masaru’s lips then, and the hand that had been holding on to the report he was supposed to be reading finally loosen its grip on the paper as he put it back down on the desk. He leaned back on his chair tiredly, and when he finally spared Minato a glance, the expression on his face only seemed to become more somber._

_“Hey,” he murmured quietly. He made no move to address his right-hand man’s question. Instead, he went straight to business. “Is everything finally in place?” he asked, keeping his tone light and neutral despite the obvious weariness in his eyes._

_At the question, Minato’s posture shifted into professionalism and he nodded before bowing softly. “Yes, Boss. We’ve successfully placed our spies in town and melded them with the community. No one has noticed any strange behavior.” He smiled on his boss’ behalf, knowing that the plan that Masaru had been toiling over for so long was finally coming to fruition. “We are ready and waiting for your word.”_

_A slight smile crossed Masaru’s lips. “Good,” he said. But the initial pleasure the news gave him didn’t last for long. His eyes fell close for a moment, and another sigh escaped his lips. He felt the weight of the position he was in weigh him down more than ever now that things were finally coming together._

_Today, in particular, made everything feel heavier than usual._

_The bitter reminder of what had happened ten years ago to the day plagued him constantly. The death of his older brother had been a catalyst that had sparked a series of events that had caused his family to slowly fall apart. Soon, the sole remaining relative Masaru had left had been his uncle. But he, too, had succumbed to the family curse by the time Masaru turned fifteen._

_But now, eight years later, Masaru would finally be able to fulfill the long-held vendetta his Family had with the Vongola. He’d finally be able to get his revenge._

_Minato’s heart did a flip when Masaru smiled and he truly held pleasure in fulfilling his boss’ orders. He lived for that smile, for that soft praise. It was what he strived for. But as Masaru’s mind wandered again, Minato felt that concern return. His posture softened, but not too much. He wouldn’t be so bold as to step out of the delicate mold Masaru had created for him. However, it was times like these where his emotions made him slip._

_“Boss,” he began, his tone softly questioning, “If I may… You seem distant. Are you alright?”_

_Minato’s question caused Masaru to slip out of his thoughts, but the pain was still too fresh, and the weight too heavy. It was hard to hold back at this moment. Masaru didn’t particularly like speaking of his past, but he’s known Minato for a very long time, and if there was anyone that would understand him, it was his right-hand man._

_“Today is the anniversary of my older brother’s death,” Masaru confessed after another brief pause. “We’ve all been so busy lately, finalizing the plans, and I’ve been so focused on the thought of finally annihilating the Vongola that I almost forgot about it.” He chuckled, as if amused, but it was not a happy sound at all. Masaru didn’t move from his chair, but he shot a brief look at the liquor cabinet at the side of the room. “It feels like it’s been so long since I picked up this burden…” he whispered._

_Minato’s lips pressed together in a thin line as Masaru finally admitted to what was bothering him. He didn’t need any further explanation as he already knew the fate of his boss’ brother. His whole family. The brief glance to the liquor cabinet was all Masaru needed to do. Minato walked around the desk and headed straight for it. He closed his fingers around a certain bottle of whiskey that Masaru favored and grabbed a short whiskey glass. He poured a small amount, two fingers, of whiskey into the glass before closing the bottle and placing it back where it belonged. He then returned to his boss’ side, glass in hand._

_“If there’s anything I can do to ease this burden,” he said, kneeling down at Masaru’s side and holding the cup out for him to take, “I will do it. You need only say the word.” But even as he spoke, Minato knew there was little he could actually do. He felt useless, unable to free his boss from the chains that connected him to his painful past. Much like his own chains. But he wouldn’t be so selfish as to think of himself now. He belonged to Masaru and his whims. Minato would do anything for him._

_The corners of Masaru’s lips lifted at Minato’s words, his actions. The movement was an unconscious one. But the smile faded as he brought the offered glass up to his lips and drank. The burn of the whisky filled the ache in his chest, but as usual, this was a temporary medicine._

_“This time… there’s not a thing in the world that can make this better. All we have to do is focus on winning.” His words carried the resolute determination that had built inside him throughout the years. It had never faltered before, not since the day he’d inherited his Family’s ring._

_But today… the memory of his brother’s death reopened wound that caused him to hesitate. Unbidden, a dreadful doubt—a fear he’s never dared to voice before—rose._

_“If this doesn’t pan out… This is it for me. For all of us. The Vongola Family will show no mercy to us, and even if they let us live, I don’t plan to stick around to see the last of you die by their hands.” Masaru swallowed. “Not again.”_

_Minato watched the man lift the cup to his lips and the soft thunk of the glass being placed on the desk was the most definite sound in the room. He listened to his boss. He could hear his pain and Minato felt a pain of his own knowing that there was nothing he could do. However, his final words made Minato’s heart clench because he knew what Masaru meant._

_Minato never thought about what would happen if they lost. After all, losing was impossible. He would strive for victory for Masaru, to free him from his depression and finally aid him in exacting his revenge. But Masaru’s words placed the first possibilities of failure in his mind and Minato didn’t like the result. However, there was only one thing he could possibly ever do if such a thing were to occur._

_“I will be there for you, Boss. I will never leave your side.” Minato’s eyes were settled on Masaru’s hand, watching the ring on his finger, the ring that marked him as the boss of the Vendetta family. It was a ring of paramount importance… To everyone else. Minato loathed that ring. It was more of an anchor, than something to be proud of. It weighed Masaru down with an immeasurable burden. Minato had never considered himself to be part of the Vendetta family. Not really. He was there for Masaru. That was his only purpose. To help this man see his goal be fulfilled. To help this man achieve what he always wanted. Masaru was his purpose. Masaru was his life._

_“I will follow you anywhere, Boss.” Minato spoke with every inch of steadfast resolve he held in his long ago frozen heart._

_Minato’s words served to ease the fear that had risen in Masaru’s chest. The falter in his resolve disappeared as easily as a nightmare did. Just the thought of Minato being at his side assured him that there was no way they could possibly fail. “I know you will. Thank you, Minato,” he said._  

But they had failed. The Vendetta had lost. 

Masaru was dead. 

What was the point anymore? 

Minato stared down at Masaru, his eyes wide but with a strange emptiness. He had come across his resolve within moments. His ring lit up with Rain Flames and he grabbed his Naginata which instantly became smothered in the blue flames. Everyone gasped and tensed but Minato didn't move to attack. 

Minato lifted the blade to his neck and made a cut right under his jaw. He gasped as a small tuft of Rain Flames stuck to his skin before disappearing into the split skin. Minato shivered as his body slowly started to go cold. It was a fitting end for him, he supposed, to go cold and fall asleep beside the one man that mattered. Minato’s body trembled and the tips of his fingers went numb as he dropped the weapon again, the flames disappearing with a small hiss. Black was clipping the corners of his vision as he grabbed Masaru’s hand in a soft and gentle hold. 

He gripped the ring on his boss’ finger and pulled it off with the last of his strength. Masaru died to be free of his burden. Minato would not allow the ring to remain on his cooling corpse. He clenched it tightly in his hand as his own breathing slowed and his eyelids drooped. That was it. His job was done. Minato’s purpose was gone. He felt a sudden rush of pain as all that remained in his mind, pushed aside by Masaru’s will and Masaru’s goals and Masaru’s life, finally returned to him. Masaru would die free. However, Minato would not. 

“Haya-kun…” he whispered, still holding his boss’ hand in one and his ring in the other. “You were right. I am nothing like you.” His breaths were becoming short and a forceful wave washed over him, making Minato physically slump as his body became too heavy for him to hold straight. “But…” He fell over to his side. All of the strength he had left was in that one gripping Masaru’s. “I… have no regrets…” Minato’s final words were exhaled with his final breath as he fell asleep. 

There was a deafening silence permeating the room. No one spoke nor moved as they stared in shock at the two Vendetta members that had taken their lives right before their eyes. 

Gokudera could barely breathe. He felt sick and nauseous, and Minato’s last words hit him like a lightning strike. A wave of, if not sympathy then understanding, filled him until he couldn’t bear to look at the scene before him for a second longer. 

Tsuna stared at the two bodies on the floor before him and a cold shiver ran down his spine. He hadn't wanted to kill. He never wanted to kill. But yet there they were, two bodies in as many minutes. Tsuna’s hands shook. He swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to gather himself because he couldn't break down here. Not now. 

It was then that the sound of clattering of chains filled the room and Tsuna opened his eyes and turned to see the Vindice gliding along, dragging the four remaining members of the Vendetta Family in chains. 

Their presence caused a bit of a collective gasp to spread throughout the room. Gokudera, already nauseated by the deaths they had seen, felt his mood plummet further at the sight of the Vindice. He stared at them warily, his stomach fluttering nervously as he saw them passing by. His eyes strayed to the prisoners they were dragging behind. 

Jiro, Yuki, Youta and Ono each had a metal brace clamped over their necks and they were all being dragged along the hall. The Vindice were silent as they passed by the room and continued to make their way down the hall. It looked like they were heading towards the exit. They didn’t even glance towards where Masaru and Minato’s corpses laid. 

But someone else did. 

Though three of the Vendetta members were still deeply unconscious, there was one whose eyes were open, and their gaze was all-too-aware as they stared into the room where their boss’ body lay. Ono’s expression was for once entirely closed off. Gone were the grins and the smiles, and in their place there was a stricken flash of horror in his eyes. He felt unable to tear his gaze away from his boss’ corpse. Masaru was dead. 

The fact was so simple, yet it felt impossible to process it. It felt so surreal, as if he was watching this from afar. It was almost impossible to look away, and yet he was forced to as the Vindice continued to drag him away. 

That’s when his gaze finally took in the other occupants in the room, and his expression was replaced by one of shock. The prefect and the Bronco… They were both here and alive. Ono had thought Ayumu had managed to take care of them, since the Mist user had avoided his capture… But it looked like that wasn’t the case. 

The absurdity of it all… the absolute hopelessness of the situation… it was so overwhelming and had Ono had any strength left in him, he would have buried his face in his hands and laughed until he couldn’t stop. 

“H-hey! What the heck are you guys doing?!” It was Ryohei’s voice that dared to break the stifled silence that was permeating the room. Though the question was clearly directed to the Vindice, the boxer’s eyes were focused on the incarcerated members of the Vendetta with an outraged expression. 

“Quiet, lawnhead!” Gokudera hissed at him with an expression of panic. “I’ll explain it to you later!” 

“The hell you will!” Ryohei scowled, and had he not been holding Yamamoto steady, he would have already crossed the room towards where these mummified people were walking. These people might have been their enemies, but dragging them along in chains was too much! 

“Wha’s happeniiing?!” Lambo’s muffled voice interrupted the argument. The five-year-old was still struggling in Chrome’s arms, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on. 

“Lambo-chan, no!” Chrome whispered slightly at him, but it was no use. Lambo had already managed to peek through. Thankfully, the only thing he managed to catch sight of where the Vindice’s imposing figures, which immediately made him shut his eyes tightly as he scrambled to hide in Chrome’s arms without any more protest. “Eep!” 

Amidst the small commotion, Hibari's attention had been attracted by the sound of the chains and the moment he saw the redhead look his way, something dark burst through him. Their eyes locked. He didn't speak. He just walked. Hibari gripped tightly to his tonfa and started heading out into the hallway, ignoring the hesitant call from Tsuna, whom wondered what he was doing; what his aim was. 

But Hibari didn't falter a single step. He ran the last few steps and slammed his tonfa down on the thick chain. The metal shattered and Hibari was on him in an instant. Hibari's face didn't change. He just slammed his tonfa over and over into Ono's face. After four strikes, he moved to his hands and shoulders, shattering the bones. 

But it wasn't enough. 

"HIBARI-SAN, STOP!" Tsuna cried out, rushing over as the Family stood in shock. Yamamoto longed to step forward but he was too weak to intervene. Chrome was too busy hiding Lambo's face from the scene. Ryohei, on the other hand, felt frozen and stared wide-eyed at the carnage before him; too much had happened too soon, and despite his disgust of the scene before him, despite the utter wrongness of it all and his desire to make it stop, Ryohei felt paralyzed. All he could do was stand there as he continued to hold on to Yamamoto with clenched teeth. 

Gokudera, too, stayed rooted to his spot, looking wide-eyed and pale. His stomach turned at the massacre in front of him, and when the Tenth began to rush forward he almost wanted to stop him. That guy was too dangerous to approach right now… 

But it was Dino’s voice that stopped Tsuna in his tracks. 

“Tsuna. Don’t.” 

The blonde’s command lingered in the air amidst the sound of metal hitting flesh and Ono’s muffled cries of pain. “Don’t interfere,” the Cavallone boss warned him as he stared intently at the slaughter before them without looking away or flinching. He was the only one in the room beside Hibari who didn’t look horrified at the sight before them. In fact… he seemed almost satisfied. 

Tsuna stopped and turned to look at Dino with wide eyes as he was filled with a familiar terror. "D...Dino-san..." 

Hibari straddled Ono's middle and tossed the tonfa aside. The tonfa were getting in the way. It wasn't personal enough. Ono had hit him where it hurt. In his pride. He had stripped Hibari of his dignity in his own town where he had assumed he was safe. 

Hibari wanted to feel Ono's bones splinter under the skin. He wanted to feel the recoil of each punch rattle up his arm and to his shoulder. He wanted Ono to feel it. He slammed the side of his hand into Ono's jugular. A fist collided with the redhead's ribs and Hibari felt a slight give in pressure along with a crack that signaled a few broken ribs. Hibari slammed the side of his fist into Ono's jaw and another into Ono's nose. Hibari then grabbed the man's shirt and lifted it, bringing his face close. "You see," Hibari said lowly. "I told you I would kill you. You won't have the privilege to breathe another gasp of my air." 

Ono’s body felt pain beyond anything he had ever felt in his life. Every muscle, every bone, his very skin, every part of his body was crying out in sheer agony. The beating he had taken before was nothing compared to this. Nothing he had ever experience and endured in his life could be compared to this. He could feel his body shaking and the movement made his injuries pain him even further. 

But even though he could barely even gasp now, even though he could barely even think, Ono’s lips were beginning to inch into a bloody, mocking smile. _It’s my win, Mr. Prefect…_ Ono thought faintly as his eyes began to cloud over. There was a dark sense of satisfaction coursing through him and Ono turned his focus towards that feeling instead of the unending pain. Amidst the death of his boss, of his own failure, this one victory felt liberating. _This might be your revenge… but I’m the one that pushed you this far. And no amount of harm you cause me will ever allow you to forget it._  

Ono’s body was beginning to shake for an entirely different reason now. The pained noises that had been escaping his throat sounded much more like choked laughter now. “You…lose…” Ono breathed with much strain, his voice something less than a murmur. And those were the redhead’s last words before his heart finally stopped beating inside his mangled body. 

The Storm Guardian of the Vendetta Family slumped limply amidst a pool of blood with a deeply satisfied expression etched firmly on his bloodied face. 

Hibari’s eyes widened and his mask faltered at those two tiny words. His heart was pounding. Lose? How could he lose? How could he have lost when he was the one beating Ono to death? But there it was, that little smile. That faint little satisfied smile and Ono’s grin flashed in Hibari’s head.  
  
 _You lose, Mr. Prefect._  
  
Ono’s voice taunted him in his head as Hibari grabbed the redhead’s face and began to bash his skull into the floor. 

_Maybe if you say please, I’ll let you win._  

Again. Again. Hibari was feeling a slight resistance as he pulled the head up, the blood squelching against the floor. 

_There, there, Kyouya~ No need to be so angry~_  

This wasn’t losing. This wasn’t losing. Hibari didn’t lose. Not this. Not against Ono. Not like this. He let out a frustrated cry as he slammed the already very dented skull into the floor one last time. He stared down at the damage, his face and uniform covered with his kidnapper’s blood. 

And the Vindice had just watched. When Hibari was finished, they slowly turned and began to make their way down the hall once again. 

Hibari decided to take a page from their book. Slowly, he stood up and grabbed his tonfa, holding on to them tightly. “I’m going home,” was all he said before he turned and left for the exit.  
  
Tsuna fell to his knees. His hands were shaking and tears were flowing freely down his cheeks. His face was pale and he tried to suppress a full body shiver because this… This was not the victory he had planned. 

_It’s finally over…_ Dino felt something inside him ease at the sight of Ono’s bloodied, mangled corpse. The knowledge that the Vendetta had been utterly eradicated filled him with cold satisfaction, and the vengeful little voice that had been whispering in his ear ever since Kyouya had gotten kidnapped had finally quieted down. With three dead and three headed towards an inescapable fate in the Mafia’s toughest prison, there was only one pest left to deal with, and Dino had already vowed to himself to personally hunt that bastard down. 

_But now…_ Dino finally forced himself to tear his eyes away from Ono’s corpse as he turned to survey the quiet room. The horrified and pale faces that surrounded him left a twinge of remorse lingering in his stomach. He was at least glad Lambo had been shielded from all the deaths and brutality that had taken place, but the others… Dino knew none of them would ever forget it. 

_This was too soon for them, Reborn…_ Dino thought briefly, feeling a shred of his old self—of the Dino that had not known death, of the Dino whose hands had never been bloodied—resurfacing. Just a glance towards Tsuna’s distraught face left a gaping hole inside of him that ached with guilt. 

But then Dino remembered the nightmares, the photos, the images Ayumu had shown him, the state he had found Kyouya in… and all that guilt disappeared without a shred. From the moment Kyouya had been torn from his side, Dino had known there was no other way this could have ended, and he was more than okay with that. 

All that was left to do now was to pick up the pieces left behind. 

But at the moment, the only pieces Dino was concerned with were Kyouya’s. 

“Gokudera…” Dino’s voice was quiet amidst the sound of his footsteps. The blonde was beginning to make this way towards the exit, intent in following after his lover. “I’ll inform Reborn that things are over but… you guys shouldn’t linger in this place any longer.” Dino did not turn to look back at the Storm Guardian who was already hesitatingly making his way towards his boss, his face ashen. Dino just continued to walk, following the trail of blood Kyouya had left behind. 

Gokudera bit his lip at the blonde’s parting words. Everything about what had happened in this short time frame had left a sour taste in his mouth. And now, as they all stood surrounded by all this death, as he stood by the Tenth’s trembling frame, all Gokudera could feel was despair. Frustration. How had things turned out this way? 

Gokudera didn’t know where to turn his frustration. The Vendetta were gone. As for those two… Gokudera could hardly blame Dino and Hibari for their part in this. 

A large part of him understood the Cavallone boss, because Gokudera knew he would have been just as ruthless had he been put in that position. But the other part of him, the part that now had to endure the Tenth’s pain and tears, that part of him longed for retribution. Retribution that he would never be able to achieve. 

“Tenth…” Gokudera couldn’t stand the silence anymore. He couldn’t stand to stay in this place. They needed to leave. 

“Tenth…” Gokudera repeated again, his voice a soft murmur as he stumbled forward towards the brunette. His hand reached out to touch Tsuna’s shoulder. “Come on… let’s go.” 

Tsuna’s eyes gazed at the broken and mangled body but he wasn’t really looking. He was still hearing that smashing of skull into concrete even though Hibari was long gone. He was hearing the cries of pain. He was seeing the blood splatter and pour out of the broken corpse. This wasn’t supposed to happen.  
  
 _Tsuna. Don’t._  
  
Tsuna winced and a shiver ran up his spine.  
  
 _Don’t interfere._  
  
No. No. No. NoNo _NoNoNonono **no**_. Tsuna’s body trembled and his eyes fell to the floor. Three bodies in less than five minutes. Three people died and Tsuna could have done something. Tsuna could have prevented it.  
  
But he didn’t.  
  
There was the tiniest weight on his shoulder and Tsuna flinched away from it, looking at it as panic flashed in his tear-filled eyes. He saw those familiar long fingers and followed them up to Gokudera’s face.  
  
“I…” Tsuna’s mouth opened, his eyes now locked with those green irises. “I…” He gasped for air but it wouldn’t come. He felt his throat tighten and his breaths came quick and shallow, panic mixing with the horror and settling in like a cold weight in his chest. 

Gokudera felt frozen. His chest tightened and his breath stopped in his throat at the sight of his most precious person shattering before his eyes. Tsuna’s expression was a mix of horror and despair and Gokudera longed to absorb those feelings into himself—he longed to be able to do anything in order to tear this pain away from the brunette. 

“T-Tenth…” Gokudera felt so overwhelmed with helplessness at the sight in front of him, and it was as if the rest of the room completely disappeared in that moment. All Gokudera could focus on was Tsuna’s pain; Tsuna’s tears; his shaking, desperate frame. Gokudera fell to his own knees at that moment and moved to pull the other closer to him, wrapping his arms around the trembling form before him. 

“Shit,” he murmured quietly against the other’s hair. “Fuck, Tenth. I’m sorry,” he murmured, over and over as he brought the other closer to him, squeezing him tighter, ignoring the sharp pain his movements caused him. His bloodied hand was buried deep in the brown locks of his boss. His other was wrapped comfortingly over the other’s back. _I’m so sorry, Tenth._ Gokudera pressed his lips at the crown of the other’s head and wished fiercely that he could turn back time. _I broke my promise… I couldn’t protect you…_ Gokudera bit his lip in self-loathing. What had been the point of getting stronger? He’d sworn to do his best to protect the Tenth, to survive in order to continue to be by his side… but he’d forgotten there were more ways to break a person aside from physical means. 

And now… he had no idea what to do to fix this. 

There were strong arms around him and a scent he knew all too well. Tsuna leaned into the familiar sensations and gripped tightly, wrapping his arms around Gokudera and staying as close as he possibly could. He buried his head into his shoulder and a fresh wave of sobs washed over him. "This... This is all my fault..." Tsuna spoke as if just realizing it. He nearly crumpled. "This is all my fault," he said again, knowing it now for a fact. 

"Tsuna..." Yamamoto's heart ached. He looked towards his broken friend before returning his eyes to Ono's destroyed corpse. 

_A battle of swords will only end when one of us has been cut down._  
  
Yamamoto had spared Ono, done his best not to kill him. And yet, minutes later, there he was. Not killed but massacred. Slaughtered. Yamamoto didn't even have the capacity to be sick.  

_Sawada…_ Ryohei’s face was ashen and though his stomach turned at Tsuna’s broken, despondent voice, the boxer couldn’t seem muster the will to look up from the spot in the ground he was staring at. Ryohei felt numb and disconnected. There was a raw sense of frustration welling up inside of him but it was faint for now. The shock of what had happened was keeping everything else at bay. 

Chrome bit her lip, holding tightly to Lambo who had silenced in her arms. She kept his face hidden as she made her way over to Gokudera and Tsuna. "Boss..." She crouched down to look at him, her expression soft but resolute. "We need to get out of here." 

Gokudera tightened his arms around the brunette as he heard footsteps approach. He looked up to meet Chrome’s gaze and though he usually met the girl with an attitude of distrust, today he willed himself to calm down. It wouldn’t be good to unnecessarily snap at people at this moment. As much as he wanted to hide the brunette away from the world, Gokudera’s hostile attitude was the last thing Tsuna and everyone else needed. “She’s right, b-” Gokudera bit his lip in sudden realization. That wasn’t the only thing Gokudera should be avoiding.  _This reminder is the last thing he needs,_ Gokudera thought then, because it wasn’t a secret that Tsuna’s always hated the idea of being in the mafia, and Gokudera knew that right then, the reminder would only hurt the other further. 

“She’s right, T-Tsuna. We shouldn't stay here any longer,” he murmured quietly into the other’s ear.  

Tsuna tensed for a moment in Gokudera's arms before his body loosened with a soft shiver and a bit of a sob. He nodded but clung to Gokudera even as they stood. When they were upright, Tsuna stared down at Gokudera's chest before pulling away from him. He gave him a soft feeble expression before looking to the others, making sure to avoid eye contact. He opened his mouth to speak and seemed to think twice, closing his mouth. He then thought about it again. "Le... Let's go..." he murmured, taking Gokudera's hand in a soft but a very needy hold. 

Gokudera’s squeezed the other’s hand back and nodded. 

And off they went. They all meticulously ignored the corpses piled around them as they stumbled off to the base’s exit. Gokudera stayed by Tsuna’s side the entire time. Ryohei struggled to support Yamamoto’s weight as they staggered after them. Lambo stayed quiet in Chrome’s arms the entire time, still cowering; there was something about this whole situation that had managed to keep him quiet. Whether he sensed the mood, or he was under an illusion, the five-year-old didn’t speak a word throughout the whole walk back. 

When they arrived at the shrine, a small medical team was waiting. Reborn had an almost somber look cracking his usual mask. Tsuna avoided looking at his tutor altogether as the medical team closed in, using Sun Flames to heal them. Bones were mended, cuts were stitched, and bruises were wiped away like a wet towel to a coffee ring. The only one who didn't heal fully was Yamamoto who was left with a scar on his chin and one on his back. The doctors explained that the disintegration ability of the Storm Flames used against him had counteracted a full heal. Yamamoto simply nodded, not really listening. 

They had all been physically cured but they were all still silent as a grave... Though that was probably not the best turn of phrase to use.  

Tsuna saw out of the corner of his eye Reborn approaching. His heart raced and he realized he dreaded the moment when Reborn was going to talk to him about this. When Reborn would justify what had happened. "G-Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna said quickly, his eyes pleading. "C... Can I go to your place?" 

Gokudera jumped slightly at the Tenth’s sudden exclamation of his name. The brunette had been so quiet during their walk back that the sound of his voice simultaneously filled with him relief and worry. He wondered what had brought on the request, but a glance up revealed the reason to him and Gokudera understood immediately. “O-of course! Would you like to get going now?” Part of him was glad the other had asked. Gokudera didn’t want to leave the brunette alone. Not now. Not like this. 

"Yes." Tsuna nodded, keeping close to Gokudera and avoiding looking at Reborn. The brunette just took Gokudera's hand and tugged it slightly, wanting to go. 

The Arcobaleno had stopped and narrowed his eyes slightly. Staring at the back of Tsuna's head for a moment, Reborn turned and decided he'd talk to Tsuna later. 

Gokudera squeezed Tsuna’s hand reassuringly before beginning to gently tug the other towards the usual way to his apartment. The walk was slow. Though Gokudera no longer felt any pain, his body seemed to be moving warily, as if it still remembered the state of his previous wounds. Moreover, Gokudera couldn’t help but to continue fretting on the walk home. So much had happened that day and all Gokudera could do was playback each and every moment that had occurred: their separation, his fight with the blonde bastard, the Vendetta’s gruesome demise… and the aftermath. The Tenth’s sobbing frame, his weary, haunted eyes, the quiet, engulfing silence that followed him even now... 

_What am I supposed to do?_ Gokudera thought helplessly as he glanced at the brunette out of the corner of his eye. His heart felt heavy and his tongue felt tied. There was nothing he could say now that would be any comfort. 

Tsuna walked in silence, the scene playing over and over in his mind. Masaru digging his claws into his belly, Minato cutting himself and simply falling asleep, and then the gruesome murder of Ono. All of it was just running over and over in a loop in his mind and it was nearly unbearable. He gripped tightly to Gokudera's hand, making sure his breath was slow and even. Tsuna was sure he'd hyperventilate if he lost himself. Tsuna felt tears running down his cheeks again. "G... Gokudera-kun... I... I don't know what to do..." he whispered, his voice broken as he stared at the floor and gripped Gokudera’s hand. 

The brunette’s voice and tearful face filled Gokudera with pain. He hated seeing the other like this… He wished he could be able to take this pain away from him. How many times had they stood here in this state lately? It felt as if all Gokudera was capable of doing was wiping the other’s tears away. Why was it that he continuously failed to protect the other? 

Gokudera bit his lip and squeezed the other’s grip back, holding on tight as he began to urge the other to continue walking. As much as he longed to wipe the other’s tears and pull him into his arms, Gokudera first wanted to get the brunette out of sight from any possible danger that might still be lurking. “Come on, T-Tsuna…” he whispered the name, still feeling the word strange in his mouth. “We’re almost home, so please…” 

_Please stop making that painful face._

_Please don’t cry anymore._

_Please be okay._  

“Please hold on, just a bit longer…”

 


	35. Target 34: Darker Days Ahead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, guys! We've finally reached the end of this story! Thanks for sticking with us so far! We hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as we've enjoyed writing it. But don't forget, just because this fic is over doesn't mean there won't be more. Keep an eye out for our future works that take place right after the end of this story.
> 
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Yamamoto made his way home in silence. He placed his sword on his back as he headed down the road. His clothes were ripped and bloody but Yamamoto didn't really have the heart to care. He made his way back to the sushi shop and slipped into an alleyway, going in through the back. He didn't want to scare any customers his father might have had. 

Tsuyoshi was in the middle of waving off the last of his customers when he heard the sound of the backdoor sliding open. The sushi shop owner tensed slightly as he heard his son’s footsteps quietly making their way inside. Tsuyoshi frowned. He had been expecting his son to come bursting in, beaming with tales of his victory all day. But Tsuyoshi got the feeling that this wasn’t going to happen… 

“Takeshi?” The sushi chef turned around to call out to his son. 

Yamamoto sighed slightly. Of course he could never sneak past his father. It would never happen. He walked up through the hallway, making sure to not touch anything and get things dirty before he peeked around the door. "Um. Hey, Pops." He forced a smile as he stepped past the door, revealing his bloody state. "Um... How... How are you?" 

Tsuyoshi’s breath stopped for a second and his heart twisted at the battered sight of his boy. The sushi chef’s eyes quickly roved over his son’s body, checking for the injuries which had already been healed, staring at the bloodied residue that clung to the fifteen-year-old’s clothes—and ultimately coming back up not to stare at the pink, raw scar on his son’s chin, but instead at his son’s eyes, which looked wearied and pained. Those were the eyes of one who had recently seen death. Tsuyoshi recognized them all too well. “Oh, Takeshi…” Tsuyoshi murmured, sighing sadly before he began to make his way over to his son, moving to wrap his arms tightly around his boy. 

Yamamoto couldn't suppress the shiver at his father's voice. As he was held in his father's arms, he felt himself break just a little bit. He let his sword lean up against the door as he reached up and wrapped his arms around his father, holding on to him. "Dad..." he whispered into his shoulder.  "Dad, I..." 

Tsuyoshi’s heart clenched at his son’s voice and even though he knew his son had to get it out, Tsuyoshi couldn’t bear to hear the words just yet. So instead, he ran his fingers over his son’s hair with comfort and hushed him quietly. “I know, Takeshi… I know…” Tsuyoshi swallowed slightly and couldn’t help but to feel conflicted. Guilty. Because he had been the one who had brought his boy into this world. The path of the sword was a bloody one, but Tsuyoshi hadn’t expected his son to come back in this state so soon.

 _You said you’d watch out for them, Iemitsu…_ Tsuyoshi bit his lip with frustration but didn’t linger on these feelings of guilt and blame. There was something more important to deal with now. 

“Come on, son,” Tsuyoshi murmured softly as he pulled back and began ushering his son towards one of the tables. “Here, sit down. Let me bring you some tea.” Tsuyoshi’s hand lingered on the other’s scarred back for a second, and that agitated twinge in his stomach resurfaced then. A scar on a swordsman’s back was a shameful thing… but Tsuyoshi knew his boy was no coward; this wound had been made by some dishonorable lowlife that had taken advantage of his son’s kindness. He had no doubt this was the case. 

 _Get a grip on yourself, Tsuyoshi._ The sushi chef berated himself for standing around and got his ass in gear, heading over to switch the shop’s sign to ‘closed’ before heading into the kitchen to get the aforementioned drink. As he poured the tea into the ceramic cup, Tsuyoshi couldn’t help but to dwell on his torn emotions. His pride as a swordsman was conflicting with the overprotective feelings that came from being a father. A part of him was screaming at seeing his son in this state, while the other longed to berate his boy for being so soft with his opponents. 

But finally, he settled for setting down an extra milky concoction of warm tea in front of his boy and taking a seat next to him. He set his hand on his son’s hair once more, sliding it down to give Takeshi’s neck a slight comforting squeeze as he prepared himself for the talk he’d been hoping to put off for a few more years. 

Yamamoto sat down, staring at the wooden surface of the table. He felt his father's hand linger a bit too long on where he knew a scar would be on his back. He waited, still and unmoving, until his father disappeared into the kitchen. Slowly, Yamamoto reached back. His fingers disappeared between the rips of the cloth and touched the new scar on his back. The skin was numb. Yamamoto couldn't feel his fingers, but the fingers could trace the scar that he knew was there. 

Yamamoto quickly pulled his hand back to his lap and clenched it. He stayed completely still until his father returned with the tea. He took it gratefully, finding a small bit of comfort in his father's touch. He took a couple sips of the tea before placing the cup down, feeling the liquid warm him to his core. He glanced at his father out of the corner of his eye, not sure where to start. 

Tsuyoshi felt equally reluctant. His talks with his son usually held a certain sense of cheerfulness among the seriousness of the moment. But this time, there was no way he could lighten the mood. So instead, he asked the question that he’d been dreading to ask from the moment his son had come home. “Was it… one of your friends?” Tsuyoshi murmured quietly, as he stared down at his son’s pale, somber face. 

Yamamoto looked at his father and took a moment for the question to click. "Oh! No… No, thank god, no..." he murmured, looking at his tea and taking the cup in two hands, feeling the heat. "It doesn't really make it any better though, does it..." he muttered. He glanced at his father again before returning his gaze to the tea. "I... I fought this swordsman..." he started slowly. 

"Ono... His name was Ono. He didn't tell me his first name. He and I fought and... Well, I… I beat him," he murmured, not looking at his father. There was no victory in his voice. "He was... on the floor and I had disabled one of his arms. I was going back to help out senpai and he... caught me in the back... I knocked him out after that.” Yamamoto swallowed slightly, his hands tightening over the cup he held for a moment before he spoke again. 

"Eventually, senpai and I caught up to the rest of the group and... well... Two guys... after they were defeated... they killed themselves." Yamamoto gritted his teeth. "It was too fast for any of us to stop them..." Yamamoto then lifted his hands and placed them over his face. "The others were being taken away... the ones who were left alive, but... Hi- But that... guy... He grabbed Ono and..." His voice teetered away with each word. "He started... _beating him..._ " 

Tsuyoshi listened to the story with a quiet, troubled frown. He winced slightly at the story’s end, knowing just by his son’s tone that what had happened had ended with stomach-turning massacre. For a second, Tsuyoshi felt sympathy along with regret for all of his son’s friends who had been present for the scene. This was not an easy thing to live with. But it was his son’s pained voice that brought the greatest ache in his heart and Tsuyoshi squeezed his grip on his son’s neck once again, the motion seeping with comfort. “You don’t need to say anymore if you don’t want to, Takeshi,” Tsuyoshi murmured to his son as he tried to calm him. Every part of him longed to comfort his son. But the more he turned the story in his mind, the more unnerved Tsuyoshi became. 

There was the part of him that acknowledged these deaths would scar his son more deeply than the wounds he had received, and it troubled him. But what frightened Tsuyoshi most was the realization of how close he had been in losing his son today. His eyes couldn’t help but to keep coming back to the large scar on his son’s back. His son’s story had confirmed his guess, but that only served to further upset him. 

 _I told you to watch your back… I told you that this wasn’t a game… Dammit, Takeshi!_ Tsuyoshi felt himself grow tense and he bit his lip harshly. 

Yamamoto bit his lip slightly, staring down at the table surface. He let his tea go cold as he took another deep breath. “Just... Pops, I know what you said. How the sword is something to be taken seriously and given respect…” His voice went smaller and smaller. “I just thought… that maybe… Ono would learn that too and we could face each other again fair and square… But…” 

Tsuyoshi’s eyes softened slightly at his son’s words. He had expected as much… but even so, if he wanted his boy to survive this lifestyle, he was going to have to make him discard those kinds of thoughts and expectations. He began to tell his son as much. “You can’t expect your opponents to change, just because you want them to, Takeshi,” he chided him softly. “It’s fine to show mercy for those who deserve it… but not everyone is worth your kindness.” 

Yamamoto felt the hand at his neck like an anchor, his father holding him down and keeping the world from spinning out of control. He remembered a moment from so long ago. The wind battering his face and his toes peeking over the edge, his balance but a frail string. “E-Everyone deserves a second chance…” he murmured, not looking up from the table. “People can change… You have to just... give them a chance to…” His voice wavered as if the faith he had held in these words also began to teeter off the edge. 

Tsuyoshi’s heart twisted at his son’s voice and he squeezed his hold on him just a bit tighter as he spoke next. “Your way of thinking isn’t wrong, son. But… not everyone thinks the same. There are people out there for whom victory can only be accomplished when their opponent is dead at their feet.” Tsuyoshi closed his eyes at the image this invoked. His son’s lifeless, bloodied body cradled in his arms. Gone was his cheerful smile and optimistic attitude. Gone was his only precious son… 

“I don’t want to lose you this early, Takeshi,” Tsuyoshi murmured then, his voice a quiet, passionate plead. “I’m not telling you that killing is the only way to win… but sometimes it is something you can’t avoid.” Tsuyoshi bit his lip and almost considered not saying anything else. He feared his next words would put too heavy a weight on his son and only increase the guilt he’d seen in his eyes ever since he’d come back home. But in the end, he knew his son had to hear it. “And at times, death can be the most merciful thing you can offer your opponent.” 

Yamamoto bit his lip hard. His fingers trembled a bit and his eyes darted from his father down to the table. He knew what he said had to be true. Because if he had just killed Ono... If he had just done away with him like he was supposed to, Ono would have never had to suffer through what he did. The swordsman’s cries of pain still echoed in Yamamoto’s mind accompanied with that defiant glare just staring at him every time he closed his eyes. 

 _A battle of swords will only end when one of us has been cut down._  

Yamamoto stood up and walked off, his hands gripping his hair and letting out a small sharp whine. “Pops…” He looked at his father almost pleadingly. “Dad, please…” He wasn’t sure what he was begging for. What he was pleading for. Only that there was just something wrong. Very wrong. And it had to be fixed. 

“Takeshi…” Tsuyoshi’s eyes followed his son’s troubled gait and he bit his lip once more, unable to stand his son’s pain any longer. At that moment, he pushed away the part of him that had disciplined itself to the path of the sword; the part of him that still needed to impart the hard lessons of the world to his apprentice. All that was left in its stead was the anxious, pained feeling of a mournful father who could no longer stand seeing that world-weary look on his son’s face. So Tsuyoshi stood up and brought his son to his arms once more, just holding him there, his hand softly running over his hair. “Come on, son,” he murmured as he tightened his hold on the fifteen-year-old. “Let’s get you up to the shower. I’ll bring some more tea to your room when you’re done. Just rest for today and try to forget, hm?” He almost winced at his last words. Tsuyoshi knew his son would never be able to forget the events that had transpired today. But… in time, the wound would scab over and hurt less. And though he hated the change that his boy would have to go through, Tsuyoshi knew it was necessary transformation he had to go through if he wanted to survive this lifestyle. 

_I hoped you’d be able to live a carefree life for just a little longer… But I guess it was too much to ask…_

 

* * *

 

Chrome walked down the sidewalk, holding Lambo in her arms. She sighed slightly, thinking back on the others and how they had reacted from what had happened. 

Death was death. They were part of the mafia and death was something that they’d experience in everyday life. Chrome knew this. But perhaps, the others still needed to learn. It was something that just wasn’t pleasant, but even though Chrome knew it was a necessity, she had still hidden away Lambo’s eyes. 

She looked down at the small toddler. “Lambo-chan?” she spoke softly. He had been silent the entire time. 

Lambo’s grip on Chrome’s shirt tightened at her voice and he buried himself deeper into her chest, shrinking slightly. “…A-are those s-scary people g-gone yet?” His voice had a timid, trembling tone to it. 

"Yes. They're gone," Chrome said softly, petting his hair. "I'm taking you home now so you'll be with Mama soon." 

The words had an immediate effect on Lambo. His earlier fear finally banished at the news. Moreover, the thought of home had him immediately forget he’d been cowering just a moment earlier. 

“Maman…?” Lambo’s face peered out from his hiding spot, and though he looked teary-eyed and pale, there was a touch of excitement mixed in with the huge bout of relief that welled up inside the five-year-old’s body. “Home!” The five-year-old beamed slightly. “Lambo-san was getting hungry! Hehehe!” 

Lambo began to wriggle around, wanting to turn in Chrome’s arms so he could see where they were going better. “’m gonna eat lots!” he was saying as he leaned back on Chrome’s hold. “And get I-Pin’s and Fuuta’s and Tsuna’s food! I’m gonna eat it all! Gyahahahaha!” Lambo had a mischievous look on his face. He appeared to have gone back to his normal, bratty self. But then, it was as if he registered his own words, because the five-year-old couldn’t help but to quiet down a bit at the thought of Tsuna. It was then that he finally seemed to notice that his “big brother” wasn’t around. 

“Where’d Tsuna go…?” the five-year-old then asked, his voice quiet and hushed. “Did he go home already? ‘s he okay?” The absence of the brunette’s presence was making Lambo tense and a little bit scared. Though his eyes had been covered in the earlier ordeal, his ears had been free to listen to all that had happened. And though he barely understood what had happened then, Lambo still knew it had been something bad… He could still hear Tsuna’s pained sobs echoing in his mind and for once the five-year-old didn’t feel like making fun of Tsuna for doing so. 

Chrome was slightly relieved at Lambo's happiness returning. But then it just took a big 180 again and Chrome wasn't exactly sure what to do. She didn't really deal with children that much and so this was just... Chrome was at a bit of a loss. So she told a half-truth. "He went with Gokudera-kun. I think he'll come back tomorrow," she said softly. "He'll be okay, Lambo-chan. Gokudera-kun will take care of him just fine." 

Lambo’s somber thoughts fled as his expression switched to that of an annoyed scowl. “Not faaaair! Bakadera’s always taking Tsuna home!” Lambo scrunched up his nose. He missed playing with Tsuna! At least Fuuta and I-Pin were still around. But beating Tsuna was the best! 

Chrome sighed, already becoming a bit exhausted with Lambo's constant change of moods. "You can play with your other friends. Don't worry," she said as they approached the Sawada household. Chrome put Lambo down in front of the porch and smiled softly. "Don't give Mama a hard time," she said softly. 

“Mmkaay!” Lambo promised with a bob of his head. He never liked giving Maman a hard time anyway. The others on the other hand… Lambo’s grin stretched mischievously. 

It didn’t last long though, because it was at this moment that a small projectile launched itself down from the second floor, landing straight on Lambo’s head. 

“Lambo! Where you been all day!” I-Pin’s voice was stern. “Maman worried!” The little girl scowled down at the sniveling five-year-old who was scowling back at her in tears as he cradled the spot the girl had landed on with his hands. Thankfully, due to his hair, the blow hadn’t hurt _that_ much. Still, Lambo was annoyed. 

“WHY’D YOU DO WHAT FOR?!” he screeched loudly as he lunged at the girl, who immediately dodged. “STAY STILL, _STUPID!_ ” 

“You stupid!” I-Pin stuck out her tongue and jumped back up to the window on the second floor, disappearing into Tsuna’s room. 

“Grrr!!” Lambo glanced at the tree near the window but instead of climbing he began pounding on the door. “Maaamaaaan!!!!” he whined loudly, and a couple of seconds later, the sound of shuffling steps could be heard approaching. 

The door of the Sawada house opened then. “There you are, Lambo—” Nana’s words were barely heard by the vengeful five-year-old whom was already rushing up the stairs. She sighed slightly, a fond smile crossing her lips. “They’re always so lively.” She quietly laughed to herself. 

But it was then that she noticed there was someone else standing at the entrance. Nana blinked slightly in surprise before putting on her best welcoming smile. “Oh, you’re one of Tsu-kun’s friends, aren’t you? He always meets the cutest girls!” Nana giggled slightly. “However, I’m afraid I don’t know your name yet, dear.” 

Chrome watched the chaos immediately ensue the moment Lambo arrived and wondered if this was how it was every day. Chrome had been turning to leave when suddenly she was addressed and her cheeks turned red. She turned back to face Nana, staring at the floor. "Um. Y-Yes... My name is Chrome." She bowed politely. "I was just bringing Lambo-chan home." 

“Oh! Thank you for bringing him home, I was worried of where he’d run off to. And my, you have the loveliest name! Would you happen to come from Italy too? My Tsu-kun seems to be making so many Italian friends lately.” Nana smiled brightly. 

"Um," Chrome stood up but still stared down at her feet. "N... No, actually. I'm Japanese... But... I'm learning Italian!" she offered, flustered and embarrassed. "I should... be going now. I have to go home." 

“Already? What a shame, I was just about to set out dinner. But I won’t keep you if you must go, dear.” Nana watched the girl begin to head off and was about to close the door when she thought of something. “Oh, hold on a second, Chrome-chan!” she called out to the girl, stepping out as she did. “Before you go, I wanted to ask if you knew whether Tsu-kun was on his way home. I figured he’d come with Lambo-chan, but…” Nana’s perpetual smile faded into a worried frown. She’d tried calling her son earlier, but her call wasn’t getting through for some reason. She had been worrying over Reborn too, but Bianchi-chan had assured her earlier that he was fine and would be home soon. 

Chrome turned back to Nana and felt a little something akin to awe. Nana cared about Tsuna. Cared a lot. And yet she didn't know anything about him. "O-oh. Sorry, um... He's staying with Gokudera-kun," she replied softly. "He said he'd be okay..." 

Nana was immediately put at ease by these words, though she couldn’t help but to smile exasperatedly. “That boy! He can get so absentminded when he’s with Gokudera-kun.” She giggled a bit. “Well, I suppose I’ll let him off this time. It’s not like I don’t know how it was like. I was just like Tsu-kun when I first met Iemitsu.” Nana giggled once more, though this time it was fonder. There was a nostalgic expression beginning to cross her face. But it didn’t last long. 

“But look at me go on and on—I don’t want to make you late!” Nana blinked twice as she refocused back on the present. “Anyway, thank you again for bringing Lambo-chan home! Get home safely, alright?” 

"Ah, y-yes!" Chrome nodded, blushing lightly and feeling more embarrassed at Nana's concern over her safety. "G-good evening." She bowed low and turned, hurrying to the sidewalk. She sighed softly with relief when she passed the wall and headed down towards her home. She really did hope that what she said was true. That her Boss would be okay. 

She held tightly to her trident. She really, really hoped.

 

* * *

 

 _Thwack._  

Ryohei’s fists met the punching bag he kept in his room hard, again and again. He’d been at it ever since he had gotten home. 

 _Thwack, thwack, thump._  

Ryohei grunted. He felt a trickle of sweat begin to slide over his skin but paid no attention to the fact. His mind was racing everywhere. Though this exercise was usually good for helping him clear his head, today it seemed like it had the opposite effect.

_Thump. Thump, thump, thwack!_

Ryohei brought his fist down on the punching bag with more force than usual. All of his frustration had been focused on the punch, and it still wasn’t enough. “This isn’t working…” Ryohei muttered to himself, biting his lip as he clenched his bandaged fists at his side. The boxer looked down at the floor as he breathed in deeply, trying to rein in his breath as he made another attempt to clear his mind. 

Why was this wretched feeling persisting? 

Ever since he’d gotten home—no, it’d been way before that—he’d been feeling weird. There was this raw, empty sensation lingering in his chest. It felt wrong and almost made him want to puke, but he’d swallowed the feeling down as much as he could and tried to ignore it. 

It wasn’t working. 

Ryohei brought his fists up to punch at the bag again, feeling his frustration overwhelm him again. He wished he could at least pin down this feeling. 

He wished… that he could forget about what had happened today. 

Normally, this wasn’t a hard thing for him to do. Ryohei was often forgetful, mostly because he didn’t find most things remarkable or extreme enough to hold his interest. 

But what had happened today was still lingering in his mind. It seemed impossible to forget. 

As he stared blankly at the red, battered bag in front of him all he could think of was of how Hibari had looked only a few hours ago, his typically pristine shirt no longer white but instead battered, dirty, and splattered in the redhead’s blood. The prefect’s expression had been murderous—and not in that usual angry manner that Ryohei was used to. No, it had been cold, vengeful. 

Ryohei wasn’t a stranger to blood, or to beating his enemies senseless. He often found such fights exhilarating. But nothing about what Hibari had done then had been right. The encounter had been too one-sided, not to mention entirely too vicious. 

 _I should have stopped him!_ Ryohei thought, not for the first time. His teeth gnashed in frustration and self-contempt as his mind began to playback that sickening, dreadful scene. He could still feel the itch under his skin that had urged him to stop Hibari at that moment. 

But the toll of his injuries, the stomach-curling sight of his unfairly imprisoned opponents, and the fresh memories of the dual-suicides that had happened just a few moments before Hibari’s assault had left Ryohei paralyzed back then.

He’d felt so powerless. He still did. 

And no matter how long he continued to vent out his feelings on his boxing equipment, Ryohei’s mood didn’t seem to be improving. It seemed to be getting worse in fact. Regret was beginning to mix in with his bout of self-loathing. Frustration was giving into doubt. 

A few days ago he’d been proclaiming that all he cared about was protecting those he cared for. But now, things didn’t seem as simple. 

Did protecting those he cared for justify the death of their opponents? 

The boxer hated to do this kind of heavy thinking, but these thoughts couldn’t stop plaguing him. 

Kyoko walked into the house with a small smile, having just spent the day with her best friend, Hana, who had just dropped her off at the house. When she entered, she was greeted by the familiar sound of Ryohei training and realized, with happiness, that he had returned from his sumo tournament. He must be hungry and tired, so Kyoko decided to head to the kitchen. 

It was about half an hour later that Kyoko walked up the stairs with a tray of ramen with ham and eggs and veggies lining the noodle bowl along with a big glass a juice. She stopped outside Ryohei’s room with a bright smile, though it faded slightly when she noticed that the sounds of training had stopped. Had Ryohei overworked himself? 

“Onii-chan?” she called timidly, tapping her foot gently against the door. “Onii-chan, are you awake?” 

At the sound of his sister’s voice, Ryohei jolted out of his deep thoughts. The nauseous sense of unease in him grew stronger at the thought of facing his sister. But avoiding her would only worry her. 

 _I can’t let her see me like this…_ Ryohei thought determinately and took a deep calming breath as he clenched his fists tightly. 

“Oh, h-hey, Kyoko! I didn’t hear you come back.” He tried to muster up his usual self the best he could. 

Kyoko blinked and held the tray in her hands, looking down at the food and hearing, very well, that shaky tone in his voice. But she stayed smiling. "I brought you dinner." she called through the door, hesitance in her voice but, at the same time, the never-ending want to please. "Can I come in...?" 

Ryohei bowed his head slightly, feeling the strain of the day weighting him down more by the second. He didn’t think he could stomach the food, much less look at it. But he couldn’t tell his sister that… 

Swallowing back his hesitance, Ryohei answered, doing his best to sound normal. “Of course! Give me a second, yeah?” 

Ryohei took another deep breath then before squaring his shoulders. He took another quick look around his room and moved to hide the bloodied clothes he’d carelessly discarded out of sight. He then slipped on a clean shirt before heading towards the door. 

Kyoko waited patiently, shuffling on her feet a little bit and listening to the noises of Ryohei moving around in his room. What was he doing? The door was unlocked. But it would be extremely rude to just walk in. So Kyoko stayed there, keeping the worry away from her face and deep in her mind. 

It was a bit easier to smile when the door opened, but at the sight of Ryohei’s face, the smile shrunk just a tad. Ryohei looked tired, as if he was holding something heavy on his shoulders. A huge burden. Kyoko could tell immediately that Ryohei had no intention of telling her what it was. Kyoko wouldn’t prod. She simply smiled and held up the tray a bit. “May I come in?” 

"Ah, yeah." Ryohei nodded with a forced smile before moving away from the door. As he watched his sister come in, he couldn't help but to shift on his feet. He felt restless.  

Kyoko walked in and placed the tray on the desk in the room that had been pushed off to the side, rarely ever used but had come with the furniture set. She looked over to the abused punching bag before looking at Ryohei. "So um, how did the sumo match go?" she asked softly, putting on her best smile for her brother. He looked so tired. It was so unlike him. 

Ryohei’s smile faltered at the question and he looked down to the ground. He wasn’t sure how to answer that. To say that they had won didn’t feel right. Not after everything that had happened. This wasn’t like the previous battles they won, where they had come out on top with the thrilling feeling of victory rushing through their veins. 

No, the only feeling this battle had left him with was one of failure. 

“I…” Ryohei’s face scrunched up in frustration as his hand moved up to brush against his stomach. Though his injuries had been healed he could still remember the pain from Jiro’s blows. If he had been stronger… 

 _But I wasn’t._ Ryohei’s jaw set at the thought, and with a rush of his usual determination he looked up to meet his sister’s gaze. “I still need more training!” he told her, fists clenched tightly at his sides. 

Kyoko blinked and looked at Ryohei. "More training? Did you lose?" She looked a bit concerned. With the amount of training that Ryohei did and the amount of dedication, could he have really lost and felt this way? Something more must have happened. Her big brother was always such a good sport, walking away from any match, win or loss, with a smile because he always did his best. Something that Kyoko always aspired to do.  

"Well..." She fidgeted slightly before giving him her brightest smile. "Things can only get better! Right? You always train so hard and smile so big that everything is going to work out. It always does. Even if it doesn't look like it now and things always look kinda dark, it's okay." Kyoko walked over and took her brother's hands. "Tomorrow is going to be a new day and it's going to be big and bright and..." She looked down at the ring on her brother's finger. "And sunny." She smiled. 

"Kyoko..." His sister's words resonated in him. Her encouragement, her smile, and her support warmed his heart and reminded him whom he was aiming to protect through it all.  

When he smiled this time, Ryohei looked a little brighter than before.  

"You're right. I can't let this get me down! I'm going to continue training to the extreme! A man can't live weighted down by regret!" Ryohei nodded firmly. He moved to rest one if his hands on top of Kyoko's shoulder and squeezed it lightly.  

"Thanks, Kyoko."  

As soon as she saw her brother smiling again, Kyoko felt so much better. Her heart soared and relief coarser through her. Because it was a dark time indeed when her big brother didn't smile as bright as the afternoon sun.  

"You're welcome!" she said happily. "Don't forget to eat, okay? You can't train if you don't eat!" She squeezed his hand before heading out towards the door. She stopped then and turned, remembering. "Oh, and how is Tsuna-kun? He didn't get sad too, did he?" 

 _Sawada..._ Ryohei's stomach dropped at the remainder. He tried not to let that feeling overwhelm him.  

"…he's fine, Kyoko. We all are," he told her quietly. Ryohei tried not to think about the somber looks that had been on his friends' faces. The sunken look in Yamamoto's eyes when he had departed. Sawada's heart-piercing sobs. The conflicting feelings that still festered inside him. 

As much as he wanted them all to move past this, Ryohei had a hard time thinking how. There was still so much he didn't understand...  

But now wasn't the time for these thoughts.   

"We're not going to let this get us down," he told her. "I won't let it."  He hoped.  

Kyoko bit her lip and nodded with a small smile. "Onii-chan always makes me smile when I'm sad, so I hope you can do the same with Tsuna-kun." She turned back to the door and sighed softly. "I guess I just... worry about him. And you too." She looked at her brother one last time and managed a small smile. "Take care of yourself, onii-chan. I don't know what we'd do without you," she said before walking out the door and heading to her room, gripping the hem of her shirt softly. The way Ryohei spoke, Tsuna must be sad about something. She just... hoped everyone would be okay.

 

* * *

 

_“Kyouya, wait up!”_

Dino frowned darkly as he stared out the dark, tinted window of his car. He tried to focus on the familiar visage of Namimori as a way to distract himself, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t get the way his lover had flinched at his touch out of his mind. 

 _“Let go of me.”_  

Dino had frozen at the sheer amount of vehemence in Kyouya’s tone. As his lover continued to stalk off into the distance, Dino’s body filled with dread and his hand shook with the effort to stay calm and rational. 

 _“Kyouya, wait, please. Just get in the car. I’ll drive you home.”_  

His pleas had fallen on deaf ears at first, but something must have clicked then, because Kyouya had relented. But the car ride home was a silent one. It was engulfed by a tense atmosphere that Dino was not willing to break. 

All he could do was stare out the window and will the car to go faster. He wanted them to be home already.

_Kyouya… Just what happened to you? What did they do to you?_

Dino could tell by the look of his lover’s injuries that he had been hurt. But to what extent? Ever since his fight with Ayumu, a dark suspicion had begun to well within Dino’s mind. He wasn’t sure to what extent he could trust the visions he had seen during his fight with the Cloud user… but Kyouya’s prickly reaction worried him. 

Dino knew his lover’s pride had suffered a heavy blow, but could something else be bothering him as well? 

Dino dreaded to think about it. 

Hibari sat silently in the car, staring out the window at the town of Namimori which he had missed so much. He nursed his injured wrist with his good hand, gently holding it while Hibird huddled tightly in the crook of his neck, nothing more than a yellow fluff ball. After about ten minutes, his good hand wandered, instead to his stomach. Hibari's face stayed stoic and unemotional, but inside, he was screaming. He couldn't handle everything he'd gone through. He had been weak. He had been broken. He never wanted to experience it again. 

The moment the car pulled up into the driveway, Hibari got out and headed straight for the door. His clothes were still covered in Ono's blood and he wanted to bathe and change. 

Dino’s gaze snapped towards the opened door as he heard the prefect rush out of the car. The frown on his face deepened at the abrupt move and Dino quickly scrambled out to follow him. After all that had happened, the idea of letting Kyouya out of his sight for even a second terrified him. Out of instinct, he grabbed on to his wrist to at least slow the other down. “Wait, where are you going?” he couldn’t help but to ask. 

The hand on Hibari’s wrist was suddenly unwelcome. It caused a tremor to go through his body. The smell of the kill was still fresh in his mind, but so was that smile. 

 _"You... Lose..."_  

Hibari wrenched his hand out of Dino's and glared at him. "Don't. Touch. Me," he growled before he walked into the house. 

Dino’s heart jolted at his lover’s cold threat and he couldn’t do anything but watch as Kyouya continued to walk off into the house. 

 _Oh, Kyouya…_  

The blonde’s face twisted into an expression of guilt and frustration. It took all his willpower not to stop him again. It took a couple of moments before Dino moved to follow him again. This time he kept his distance, not wanting to anger or agitate his lover. When he saw Kyouya head for the bathroom, he stopped and sighed. He ran a stressed hand through his hair before calling for Romario, telling him to get the medicine kit ready. 

Hibari walked into the bathroom and stripped out of his clothing. Hibird flew off to the towel rack, singing the Namimori anthem cheerfully. Hibari listened to it as he texted Kusakabe, placed his phone with his clothes, and began washing himself. 

He was careful with his wrist, but at the same time, he made sure to use it. He knew the ramifications of pushing the limits too much, but he couldn't help but hate the fact that he had to hold back. He washed his hair and watched the bloody water flow down the drain. 

After cleaning his body as well and holding his wrist under the cool water for a while, he looked over at the singing bird and curled his finger twice, beckoning him. Hibird flew over and landed on his finger. Hibari took his wash cloth and gently used the corner of it to clean the blood off from his feathers. Hibird waited patiently, and when he was done, the small bird fluffed up his feathers and shook himself a bit in order to dry off quicker. Hibari stood up and placed Hibird back on the towel rack before moving over to the bath. He laid in the hot water for a while, his eyes closed and allowing his muscles to loosen and relax. 

After, Hibari got out of the bath and dried himself off. He slipped into a robe and Hibird flew over and landed on his shoulder as the prefect grabbed his phone again and walked out of the bathroom to go to his bedroom. 

Back in the bedroom, Dino was slipping a shirt on. The clothes he had been wearing earlier had been discarded and lay at his feet. Beside him, Romario was putting a bottle of salve, which had been used on Dino’s bruising neck, back in the medicine kit which lay open on top of the desk. 

When Hibari came in the bedroom, Dino’s gaze snapped over to him. 

“Kyouya…” Dino felt a wave of relief at the sight of him. Kyouya was already looking much better than when he had found him. _He’s safe, he’s home. It’s over._ Above all his worries, it was these words that comforted Dino—it was a mantra he had chanted before in similar situations and always assured him that things would be okay, if not now, then eventually. 

Feeling lighter than he had all afternoon, Dino tried to ignore his lover’s closed off expression. As much as he wanted to talk with Kyouya, now wasn’t the time for this. He needed to focus on helping Kyouya. What he needed now was some food and medication. With that in mind, Dino silently gestured for Romario to attend to his lover as was their custom. 

Hibari walked into his bedroom and frowned when he saw Dino and Romario there. At the signal from Dino, Hibari glared at Romario. "Get away from me," he growled before turning around and walking down the hallway to go to a spare room where, most likely, he could get some peace. 

Romario stopped in his tracks at the command. He exchanged a look with Dino, who frowned and moved to follow his lover. 

“Kyouya, wait up.” Dino was careful not to reach out to his lover as he had done before. 

"Leave me alone," Hibari snarled, looking over his shoulder as he walked and escaped to the spare room. He slammed the door behind him as Hibird began chirping. He fluttered around a bit and landed again on Hibari's head as the prefect took out his phone to inquire where Kusakabe was. 

Dino’s frown deepened at his lover’s reaction, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t expected it. He hesitated outside, his hand hovering over the handle of the sliding door. Yet, as much as he understood the other’s need for space, he couldn’t just leave him alone knowing his injuries had yet to be treated. 

“Kyouya, come on. Don’t be like this.” Dino sighed. “I know the last thing you want right now is for us to hover, but at least let Romario tend to your wounds.” 

Hibari growled again at the door. "No. Get out," he snarled once more as he, in quick angry motions, moved to set down one of the futons from the closet on the floor, before sitting down on top of it. He winced in pain at his injured wrist but otherwise didn't pay much attention to it. It was then that he got a text back from Kusakabe saying that he was only a few minutes away. Hibari relaxed a little bit and crossed his legs as Hibird continued to chirp and sing. 

Dino felt a twinge of annoyance well inside of him at his lover’s steadfast refusals. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down, but his control over his emotions had been at an all-time low for the past week. He didn’t think he could hold on for much longer. _Dammit, Kyouya. Why must you always to fight with me on everything?_ “Would you quit being so damn stubborn?! Just let Romario tend to you!” Dino ran a stressed hand through his hair and glared at the door in front of him in frustration. He tried to guess just what was going on in his lover’s head. He wondered what he could possibly say to improve Kyouya’s mood. 

“Look, I’ll leave the room if you want me to. I promise not to look.” Dino bit his lip. “You know I only worry about you, don’t you? It’s not like I think any less of you or anything. So please…” 

Dino's continued insistence made Hibari's anger flare. He stood up so quickly that Hibird fluttered off to the pillow. The prefect walked right up to the door and opened it before using his good hand to punch Dino right across the jaw. "I said get out," he growled. "I don't want you to touch me. I don't want _him_ to touch me. I don't want any of you to look at me or breathe my air. I said, _GET._ _OUT_ ," he spat, flexing his fingers as if ready to punch him again. "Now." 

Dino hissed and stumbled back a few steps at the punch. His hand came up to cradle his now-aching jaw, and though he felt a spark of anger ignite at the blow, it was quickly drowned out by the cold rush of dread he felt upon hearing his lover’s words. He couldn’t believe it was just Kyouya’s injured pride that was making him talk like this. Could Dino’s worst suspicions actually be more than just that? His mind couldn’t help but to recall once more the visions that Ayumu had shown him in their battle. A flash of pain crossed Dino’s face as he thought back on that one image… the one of that redhead, Ono, caressing the ebony locks of his lover ever so intimately. Just the reminder of that felt like a punch in Dino’s gut and almost made him shake. But he couldn’t let those feelings resurface now—not when Kyouya looked so ready to kill him at the slightest word he said. 

But Dino couldn’t just remain quiet, or even worse, useless. So instead he focused on his anger and gave in to what was most familiar to them: fighting. He focused on the sheer rage he had felt back then upon seeing Ono’s hands encroach his lover’s space, resting on his belly. 

Dino slowly straightened up and held his ground, staring down straight into Kyouya’s eyes. “Just how much longer are you going to continue to act like a child?” Dino demanded sharply. “Is your pride more important to you than your health? Than the life you’re carrying inside of you?” 

Hibari bristled, his eyes widened and anger was a fiery tornado in his dark irises. His shoulders tensed and his breathing quickened slightly. He felt insulted. He felt outraged. He felt ashamed. He felt weak. Hibari reached out and grabbed the door frame of the sliding door and literally ripped a wooden beam from the frame.  

"This is my house. This is my body,” he snarled, glaring in a way he's never glared at Dino before. His knuckles were white as he gripped the wooden beam. "This is my territory. My air. My space. MY child. MY dignity. MY pride," he nearly yelled before swinging the beam at him, which Dino instinctively dodged. This only made Hibari angrier. "Get OUT. Get out RIGHT NOW!" Hibari's voice cracked as he spoke and it made him want to punch himself and curl up in a ball of self-loathing. "GET OUT!" he yelled instead, not allowing Dino to get near him. 

Dino’s eyes widened. His chest hurt, listening to his lover’s outburst. He had never seen him lose control of himself like this. For Kyouya to be this distraught… Dino didn’t know what to do. He felt angry at the Vendetta for doing this to his lover; angry at himself for letting it happen. He felt more helpless than ever. Of course, he knew things wouldn’t be the same after all that had happened…. But he hadn’t been prepared for this. 

“Boss…” 

Romario. Of course he had come out after hearing all the commotion. Dino bit his lip in frustration but didn’t turn to face him. He couldn’t bear to tear his gaze away from his lover. He could barely breathe. 

How had things escalated so fast? 

Hibari twisted his hands on the wooden beam, his wrist pulsing at the agonizing pain that shot up his shoulder with each movement. But he made sure not to wince. He made sure not to let anything show on his face. But right when he was about to yell again, the front door opened and he heard Kusakabe's voice. 

"Hibari-san! I'm here!" he called. 

Hibari relaxed slightly before he glared at Dino once more. 

"Last time, I'll tell you. Get out or I'll make sure to bite you to death this time," Hibari growled as he heard Kusakabe's footsteps approaching. 

Dino felt his heart jolt hard against his chest at the threat. No, at the promise. This was more than just a typical death threat from his lover. 

But who was he kidding? Dino had already known that it would come to this from the moment Kyouya had lost his composure. 

There wasn’t anything more he could do.

So Dino closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. He tried to ignore the frustration that had welled up inside of him to no avail. “Fine,” he finally said, voice quiet. “Fine,” he repeated. “Whatever, you say.” 

There was a beat of silence. Dino’s chest ached. He couldn’t help but to add, “I’ll leave, but…” Dino hesitated for a moment but he dared take a step forward again. He noticed Kyouya tense at his approach, but at this point Dino didn’t care if the other moved to kick him or punch him—that, at least, he was used to. Still, he made sure not to get too close and slowly reached out to grab the wooden beam. He rested his hand right above Kyouya’s own, though he kept a deliberate distance between their hands. Dino’s voice then went down to a low murmur. “I’m leave, I promise. For however… however long you want me to. But just stop this. Don’t hurt yourself anymore.” 

Hibari tried to wrench away the wooden beam but he wasn't able to free it from Dino's grasp. He listened to Dino's words and felt even more infuriated by them. He was acting as if Hibari was a child. He was acting like Hibari was doing this to himself when it was DINO who wasn't listening. DINO who wasn't doing what he said. 

"You told me when you revealed that I was pregnant that you'd do everything I said," Hibari growled lowly as Kusakabe turned the corner into the hallway. He let go of the wooden beam and pushed Dino away. "You're not keeping your word. This is the last time I'm telling you to get out. You, and your lackey. I don't want to see you anymore." 

Kusakabe’s eyes widened as he caught the last of the argument. He frowned but waited for Hibari to finish before continued his slow approach. And Hibari didn't spare a second. The prefect walked down the hall, towards his own room and Kusakabe followed. He threw a reassuring look to Dino and Romario as he walked after Hibari. 

 _Kyouya…_ Dino clung to the wooden beam in his hand as he bowed his head. He didn’t say a word as his lover brushed past him, instead focusing on the sound of his retreating footsteps. The sound of the door closing felt final, and the blonde’s hands shook slightly as he felt his chest constrict in pain. He didn’t know how long he stood there for but eventually Dino lifted his head back up. His expression was unreadable as he quietly murmured to his right-hand man. 

“Come on, Romario… Let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

Tsuna wasn't home yet. 

Reborn crossed his arms as he stared out the window at the darkening street. But, of course, he knew that Tsuna wouldn't be coming home. He'd already watched Lambo settle quite loudly into bed, complaining that Gokudera was constantly stealing his time away with Tsuna. Reborn had half a mind to go over and watch them. His lips pursed slightly and his small fingers tightened on the sleeves of his expensive suit. 

Tsuna wasn't home and he wouldn't be coming home tonight. 

The Arcobaleno had seen all the kids walk off looking solemn and raw. Properly broken. And really, how many times had Reborn thought to himself that he needed to toughen these kids up? How many times had he said to himself that he not only needed to train their bodies, but their minds? How many times? Too many times. And now they'd seen the real world. They'd seen the world of the mafia for what it really was. They'd seen what their life was going to be from now on. Hibari had been rescued in near-to-perfect health. The baby had survived. They had no casualties on their side and the Vendetta Family had been eliminated. This was what he had been aiming for. This was what he had been working for. 

The street lights began to flicker on one by one, lighting up the darkened street. But the light on the corner of the Sawada house hadn't turned on. The bulb had likely burned out, leaving their section of the road dark. 

Reborn grabbed the curtains and pulled them shut as rain began to tap against the window pane. 

Today had been a success. 

The sky cried for the rest of the night and Reborn didn't sleep a wink.

 


End file.
